Supporters - Carl Korn M.D. and Sandra Korn
In late January 1971, Dr. Carl Korn was walking through the hallways of LA County/USC Medical Center where he was an attending physician.He encountered Drs. Robert and Rafael Mendez, whom he had known for many years, while all three of them were in training at USC Medical Center. The Mendezs asked Carl how things were. He told them his father had just died on dialysis, on the same unit to which he had admitted patients while a medical student, intern, and resident at LAC/USC Medical Center. Carl's father had polycystic kidney disease, and had been 65 years old at the time of his death. Robert Mendez looked at Carl with a puzzled look. Carl touched Robert on his chest, over his heart, and with tears in his eyes said to Robert," Someday you're going to save my life."
In November, 2002, Carl was placed on dialysis for end-stage renal disease. He had little chance for survival without a transplant. He chose to see Dr. Robert Mendez, who with his brother Rafael, were founding heads of the transplant team at St. Vincent's Hospital in Los Angeles. They were world famous transplant surgeons.
A new program had been instituted earlier in 2002. This program made the organs of persons over the age of 55 who had died of non-cancerous, non-infectious, non-type 1 diabetes mellitus more readily available than younger organs, for transplant recipients. Carl signed up to this program immediately.
After having the extensive workup required for all potential transplant recipients, Carl's enlarged polycystic kidneys were removed by Dr. Robert Mendez at the end of January, 2003.
Six and one-half weeks later, the Mendezs' coordinating nurse called Carl and his wife, Sandra. It was March 14, 2003. The Korns were watching "Wheel of Fortune." The deceased donor of the kidney had been 68 years old. She had died on March 13, 2003 of unknown causes. She did not have a history of any medical problems. Carl said to the coordinating nurse, "I'll be at the hospital in 15 minutes!"
Carl knew he had little time left; he was doing poorly on dialysis. He said to Sandra, "I bet this 68 year old woman did something that was either very happy to her or very aggravating. She felt funny. She probably had something like wine to drink, developed a headache, took a couple of aspirins and "blew out" - a medical term representing a stroke or heart attack."
The kidney transplant was placed just within the necessary time period for transplants on the morning of March 15, 2003. It began working almost immediately. Carl never had a rejection episode in these past 5-1/2 years.
From the very first night that Carl had arrived home, he and his wife, Sandra, received phone calls from their dentist friend who had had a Halloween costume party six months previous in October, 2002. After 3 weeks, the dentist asked Carl and Sandra if they remembered a great friend of his that Sandra had taken many pictures of during the Halloween party. Her name was Beverly, and both Carl and Sandra had spent most of the party speaking with her. She had been a teacher of gifted children, loved the things that Carl and Sandra did, had recently retired to the home of her dreams, and had given her first docent tour for one of the museums in Southern California. She was terribly thrilled to be doing the docent lecture on March 13, 2003. After she had finished the tour, she felt peculiar, sat down and had a glass of wine. She then developed a headache, took a couple of aspirins, and died in the ambulance on her way to the hospital.
Beverly had a pink dot on her driver's license. The odds were very great that this lovely woman was Carl's kidney donor. Carl and Sandra carry Beverly's picture with them all of the time. They thank God, daily, for Dr. Robert Mendez, his staff, and Beverly.
For more information about Carl and Sandra Korn, M.D., and how to become part of MNIT's support team, please contact James Schellenberg.