Greenwood man hopeful for 2nd life gift

<p>A Greenwood resident’s life was saved once, as a teenager, when his mother donated a kidney to him.</p><p>Now, Jimmy Dodgion turns 50 in June, and is reflecting on how he is both blessed and cursed. Dodgion was donated a kidney by his mother, Joyce Scotten, before his freshman year of high school, providing him a normal life for more than three decades.</p><p>Unfortunately, the donated kidney eventually started to give out, making it necessary for Dodgion to be on dialysis starting July 2017.</p><p>“On a selfish level, you hate that it’s happening to you. But all these people who need kidneys. I go to dialysis and sit and watch that, and you’re one of them. It’s frustrating,” he said. “I would tell people to check into (organ) donation.”</p><p>As a 14-year-old in 1983, he didn’t understand the severity of what he was going through, in part because his mother was identified as a match so quickly. Dodgion counts himself fortunate for the opportunity to extend his life when so many others pass away waiting for a match.</p><p>He has been on the transplant list at St. Vincent’s Transplant Center in Indianapolis since July 2017.</p><p>&quot;He can stay on it until he finds a kidney, but every year he has to go through a series of tests to make sure he’s a good candidate,&quot; Scotten said. &quot;His situation certainly won’t get better. Dialysis causes a lot of issues with your body.&quot;</p><p>Scotten’s biggest fear is that her son someday is removed from the transplant list.</p><p>April was national organ donation awareness month, a time in which efforts to educate the public about the importance of donation are increased. However, in the case of Dodgion and others awaiting organ donation, every month is a good time to get the word out.</p><p>In Indiana alone, the waiting list for those in need of a new kidney is approximately 1,300. The wait list is usually three-and-a-half years to five years depending on the patient.</p><p>Some of the factors known to rule out a person from being an organ donor include, in no particular order, diabetes, obesity, Hepatitis B or C, a recent history of cancer, HIV and heart or lung disease. A donor must be 18 or older.</p><p>People in their twilight years can be turned down as donors. Age 70 is usually the cutoff point for potential donors, though older persons can donate if in good health.</p><p>Dodgion’s stepfather, former Greenwood football coach Len Scotten, 84, hoped he could donate a kidney to Dodgion. However, he was turned down because Coumadin, the blood-thinner Scotten has taken daily since suffering a stroke in 2005, makes him a high risk for any surgery.</p><p>“I’m just frustrated that I can’t do anything,&quot; Scotten said.</p><p>The kidney is the most commonly donated organ. When a kidney is removed, the other kidney increases in size to compensate for the loss of the donated kidney. The genetic match of a donor isn’t as important as it once was due to the medications available today.</p><p>A national computer system matches donated organs to recipients. Factors include blood type, time spent waiting and geographical location.</p><p>During the 1982-83 school year, Dodgion, an eighth-grader at Greenwood Middle School, was diagnosed as having high blood pressure by a school nurse. This eventually led to his kidney failure and need for a transplant. At the time, Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis was one of only a handful of facilities nationwide that specialized in performing kidney transplants.</p><p>The previous year, Dodgion’s biological father, Jim, died in a motorcycle accident. However, Joyce being a match made the process easier than what most families go through.</p><p>“The first time it all seemed like it took care of itself,” Dodgion said.</p><p>Joyce, who married Scotten a month after her son’s transplant, said her only child is much like his biological father. Dodgion is quiet and often internalizes concerns, which makes him the personality opposite of his mother, who has yet to meet a stranger.</p><p>“That worries me about him,” Joyce said. “Sometimes I really worry about what’s going on inside of his head. He has a tendency to be depressed. Now, he says he isn’t, but then we don’t really sit down and talk about it a lot. He’s very calm. His attitude is very good.”</p><p>In Indiana there are nearly 4 million persons registered to donate, typically kidneys, livers, tissue and eye donation. Dodgion, who was employed at Little-Ton and Sons Sand &amp;amp; Supply, no longer works and has lived with his mom and stepfather the past 19 months.</p><p>Dodgion’s dialysis sessions are every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 5:30 a.m. until 9:45 a.m. at U.S. Renal in Greenwood. It’s a process that leaves Dodgion fatigued the rest of the day and often part of the following day.</p><p>When he feels up to it, Dodgion drives to the Greenwood Community Center to work out.</p><p>Meanwhile, like thousands of others, he waits.</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="At a glance" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>How to donate</p><p>If you are considering living donation, you must submit an online referral by:</p><p>• Go to stvincent.donorscreen.org and complete the form asking questions such as your name, address, phone number and date of birth.</p><p>• A brief medical history will be obtained that includes your current or previous treatment for hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, history of cancer and history of blood transfusions.</p><p>• Once the form is submitted, a member of the St. Vincent Living Donor team will contact you to answer questions, discuss financial responsibilities and discuss the evaluation and donation process.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]