Only in Beaufort: Transplant strengthens an old bond of friendship

This will be Linda Keene's second Christmas with one of Sara Oakley's kidneys.

Three years ago, when Keene's organs began to fail, Oakley was there to offer a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, and, ultimately, an kidney to donate.

But that is not where the story -- or their bond -- really began.

Over thirty years ago, Oakley serendipitously stepped into Keene's music room at Laurel Bay Elementary. Both teachers, both relatively new to Beaufort, and both about to have their first babies. They also lived one street over from each other and began to carpool to work.

Keene soon took time off to stay at home with her daughter, Meredith, as well as Oakley's son, Hayes. Their lives were running smoothly as the 1970's came to a close.

But as the 1980's began, so did health problems for Keene's family.

Her mother had long suffered from Polycystic Kidney Disease. Two of her three sisters were diagnosed with the illness. Keene was tested and found to be carrying the hereditary gene as well. At that time, all she could really do was monitor her blood pressure and kidney functions. But the time bomb was quietly ticking.

It wasn't until 2006, when Keene's sister Claudia passed away, that Oakley became aware of the serious nature of the disease. She told her husband that if it ever came to Keene needing a transplant, she would provide the kidney.

Her chance to make good on that vow came sooner than either she or Keene imagined.

By the summer of 2012, Keene noticed herself slowing down physically. The smallest effort left her exhausted. Her nephrologist in Savannah set up an appointment at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston to discuss treatment options after her kidney function dropped well below the 15% standard for healthy organs. She was in full renal failure.

"It's funny, I had seen my sister Susanne receive a transplant and suffer from some complications and told myself I never wanted to go through with that," said Keene.

But faced with few other options, she accepted the news that she was a good candidate for a transplant.

Several friends immediately got tested as possible donors, a gesture Keene found "meaningful" and well-intended. Most of them, however, never made it past the point of having good enough blood pressure readings.

One who did make it through to the next round was Oakley.

"I procrastinated in filling out the paperwork, but once I passed the 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, I realized I had made it further as a potential match than others," said Oakley.

Calling it the "best physical anyone could have," Oakley passed the stress test, blood matching and every other measuring tool the doctors threw at her. She had not only a clean bill of health, but the health of a woman half her age. That matters only because she was soon to become the oldest transplant donor in the history of MUSC.

"They called me on my birthday to tell me I was a match and everything was a go," said Oakley.

The present, though, was for Keene.

For two people as close as sisters, the match was no surprise.

The transplant was performed in May of 2014.

As Oakley lay on the operating table having the kidney removed, Keene waited in a nearby room to receive it.

The surgeon emerged from the operation room to say the "new" kidney had begun working immediately in Keene's body.

Now, Keene gets compliments about how healthy she looks -- a fact Oakley attributes to having the gift of her kidney.

While Keene knows not to push things too much, the transplant has transformed her.

"It added years to my life and opened up new opportunities I didn't have before," said Keene, including a continuing friendship with Oakley.

Oakley agrees.

"She knows more secrets about me than anyone, but now she can't tell them because she has my kidney," said Oakley.

Sara Oakley gave Linda Kenne the gift of life.

Together they share the gift of one another.

Ryan Copeland is a Beaufort native. He can be reached at rlcopeland@hargray.com.

This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 9:28 PM with the headline "Only in Beaufort: Transplant strengthens an old bond of friendship ."