search articles:     from the issue of December 13, 2007           Brother's donation saves Faller from dialysis, kidney failure A Living Gift  BY TROY FEDDERSON, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS Ron Faller received a gift he can never hope to repay.     DONATION RECIPIENT - Ron Faller, a research assistant professor with the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, received a kidney from his brother in November. Photo by Troy Fedderson/University Communications. In November - with a disease pushing his kidney function into single percentage points - the research associate professor with the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility received a healthy organ from his brother, Todd. "I don't think there is any way possible to repay that kind of sacrifice," Ron Faller said. "All you can really say is 'thank you' and let them know you will be there whenever they need you - no matter what it is - because they basically saved your life." Ron Faller's journey toward a living donation started Labor Day 1997, as abdominal pain literally knocked him to the floor. A series of tests over the course of a week put a name to his pain - autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disorder. "Basically, it causes genetic defects in your kidneys," Ron Faller said. "Cysts start to form in the kidney tissue, the kidneys swell and fill with fluid. That causes restricted flow of blood through the kidney, which restricts cleaning of your blood. "The disease causes hypertension and the kidneys gradually begin to fail, which leads to end stage renal failure."   Todd Faller   The disease is normally hereditary. With no traceable family history, Ron Faller learned he was among a small percentage of people who just get the disease. "Sometimes, a mutation occurs and you become the first in a string to get it," he said. "That appears to be the case for me." After working through the initial shock of having a disease that could eventually kill him, Ron Faller began to make choices to change his lifestyle. "My wife was pregnant and due to have our second child 28 days after I was diagnosed," he said. "She didn't need the extra stress, and I decided to take control of the disease." Medication helped regulate his blood pressure. And, after learning that protein is hard on kidneys, Ron Faller made changes to his diet. He also maintained a high level of activity, competing year-round in volleyball leagues and coaching youth. "I continued to compete even though I had the disease inside of me," he said. "I was handling it pretty good. But, I started to really feel the effects of the disease in the last couple of years, as my kidney function dropped into the 20 percent range." At the end of 2006, the bottom started to fall out. Ron Faller's kidney started to falter at a faster rate - which is normal as the disease advances toward renal failure. In April, a nephrologist referred Ron Faller to the transplant center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In July his name was placed on the national organ/tissue donation registry. Family members also started stepping forward to be tested for a match. "The people at UNMC told me that we could also try to come up with a living donor," Ron Faller said. "I didn't want to be a part of that process. It's uncomfortable for me to go ask someone for help with something small, let alone to ask them for a kidney. "I didn't want to know who was being tested." Ron Faller's wife and mother put potential donors in touch with UNMC. Through the process, Todd Faller proved to be a nearly perfect match. "There are six initial matches and I hit on all six of them," Todd Faller said. "I went forward with more testing and we were a good match." When his brother called with the news, Ron Faller was shocked. "He told me about how he was going to donate a kidney to me and asked when I wanted to do it," Ron Faller said. "I needed to take a step back. I wanted to make sure he was willing to do this. I wanted to talk more about it." UNMC officials were also sure to question the family, making sure Todd Faller was not being pressured into the decision and that he understood what he would be going through. For Todd Faller, the decision remained a "no brainer." "I never gave the decision a second thought," he said. "Ron would have done the same thing for me. It's just something family would do for each other." The surgeries were performed Nov. 10. "The doctors told me that, when they hooked Todd's kidney up to me, that it stiffened and began to work immediately," Ron Faller said. Both the Faller brothers are now in good health and have returned to work - Ron on City Campus, Todd to his landscaping business in York. Ron Faller suffered a minor setback - a blood clot in his leg - but is gearing up for a new volleyball season in February and a possible spot on a team in the 2008 National Transplant Games. He has also become involved with an autosomal dominant polycystic kidney group in Kansas City. "There's basically a 50 percent chance our daughters will have my disease," Ron Faller said. "It's my hope that a cure can be found and I'm working to help them fund research." As for that gift, Ron Faller is still up in the air as to what to put under the tree for his brother. But, that's OK with Todd Faller, he doesn't expect anything special. "That kind of stuff isn't what's important," Todd Faller said. "All I want is for Ron to keep that kidney healthy. That's what is important to me and our family." 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