the herald-sun | file photos by kevin seifert
Grace Church in Chapel Hill raised $16,000 to help pay for a kidney transplant for Lishan Knowles, seen on Jan. 29, 2008, at Grace Church. Knowles received two kidneys on Aug. 4 at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Knowles stands with some of the members of the National Foundation for Transplants N.C. Kidney fund-raising committee at Grace Church. Surrounding Knowles are (clockwise from bottom left) Rosemarie Wenzel, Laura Shrewsbury, Hank Lesene, Jeri Greenwold, Roy Wall, Janelle Wall, Margie Huggins and Jean Lesene.
donations sought
If you want to help, send donations for Lishan Knowles to:
National Foundation for Transplants
NC Kidney Fund
PO Box 5291
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
or donate online in her name at www.transplants.org
For more information, visit http://newlifeforlishan.com.
BY DAWN BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN
dvaughan@heraldsun.com; 419-6563
CHAPEL HILL -- A year and a half ago, friends of Lishan Knowles at Grace Church in Chapel Hill were on a mission to raise money for a kidney transplant for the woman they described as "a giver." They were also praying that she would be able to receive one.
Last week, the prayer was answered, though the mission continues. Knowles received two new kidneys in a transplant at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Montefiore Hospital. Her friend Jeri Greenwold went with her. Knowles has spent years on dialysis through UNC and was on the transplant waiting list at Montefiore. The call came the morning of Aug. 4 and by that night, Greenwold and Knowles were in Pittsburgh. The donor was a 61-year-old woman.
Greenwold said it was a privilege to accompany Knowles. Grace Church raised $16,000 to fund costs associated with the transplant that Medicare doesn't cover. The goal was $50,000, but the church suspended the fundraising while members waited to find out if Knowles would be able to receive new kidneys. The National Foundation for Transplants donated another $3,000 -- $1,000 for every $5,000 Grace Church raised.
In February 2008, Knowles told The Herald-Sun: "For sure I don't like to live on dialysis. If I get the transplant, it's OK. If I don't, it's OK because of all the chances I've had in life. In one way, this is the way God has provided for me to live, even if I don't like it."
Her kidneys problems began with a cyst in 2003, and advanced. Originally from Ethiopia, Knowles raised two daughters on her own, who now live in Brooklyn. She has lived in Chapel Hill since 1980.
In 2008, surrounded by the love of her friends and church, Knowles said that "I don't even feel I am suffering. Maybe this is the happiest time of my life. I am grateful for every sunshine I get in the morning."
Now that the transplant was successful, she'll spend another few weeks in the hospital in recovery. She is grateful for the continued support, encouragement and prayers of her friends, Knowles said from her hospital room in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
"The biggest thing is she'll have a much better quality of life now," Greenwold said. "I'm happy for her. It's a real answered prayer."
The whole church, and another church, prayed for her, Knowles said. She prays for them, too.
"I'm here by God's grace," she said.
