Regina Smyth, RN, Clinical Nurse, Transplant Unit, center, a member of the nursing staff who looked after Ian and Teresa during their stay at Jefferson, wishes them well as they prepare to leave the hospital for home.

When Teresa Dravk, who has been waiting for a new kidney since 1992, logged onto an Internet chat room from York, PA, she not only found her true love, but the person who could save her life.

Ian Fleming of Manchester, England, turned out to be a perfect match for Ms. Dravk’s heart – and for her kidney.

After they met online in the fall of 1997 and exchanged many emails and trans-Atlantic phone calls, the couple got together and he proposed on New Year’s Eve. They married in September of this year.

Mrs. Fleming has been suffering from kidney failure following a previous transplant and had been on dialysis. Mr. Fleming, a government worker and professional cyclist in Great Britain, readily volunteered to give up one of his kidneys for her.

In a transplant operation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital that attracted worldwide attention, Mr. Fleming gave his new bride an incredible gift – a new life. One of Mr. Fleming’s kidneys was harvested and then implanted in his wife.

Michael J. Moritz, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, and Director, Division of Transplantation, Jefferson Medical College (JMC), harvested Mr. Fleming’s kidney, while John Radomski, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, JMC, performed the transplant procedure on Mrs. Fleming.

Following the successful procedure, both doctors said Mrs. Fleming’s prognosis is excellent. Dr. Moritz said the chances are 95 percent favorable that Mrs. Fleming’s new kidney will function properly a year from now, and 50 percent that it will work in 18 years.

Also: Jefferson Web Site Keeps World Posted on Fleming Kidney Transplant Story

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