The Paid Leave Podcast

A CT Politician Gets a Life Saving Organ Donation

• The Connecticut Paid Leave Authority • Season 1 • Episode 6

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0:00 | 30:11

 April is National Donate Life Month. Connecticut residents have applied for both Organ and Bone Marrow donations under CT Paid Leave benefits. As of April 25th, 18 people have applied for organ donation and 4 for bone marrow donation.

 Host Nany Barrow talks with 4th term Connecticut Representative Jeff Currey, about his own journey to find a lifesaving kidney.  Jeff talks about his life openly and with a sense of humor. Find out who ended up giving Jeff a kidney!

Joining Jeff and lending their expertise about organ donation, is Caitlyn Bernabucci, the Director of Community Affairs and Development of New England Donor Services, and Annie Landeen, the RN Living Donor Transplant Coordinator for Hartford Hospital. 

Under CT Paid Leave, serving as an organ or bone marrow donor is a qualifying health condition.  To find out if you qualify, please go to ctpaidleave.org.





















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Nancy Barrow:

Hello Connecticut, and welcome to The Paid Leave Podcast. The title basically says it all. I'm Nancy Barrow, and I will be delving into this new state program and how it can help you and your family. This podcast will give you information you should know about Connecticut Paid Leave and maybe just a little bit more. Connecticut Paid Leave brings peace of mind to your home, family and workplace. Welcome to The Paid Leave Podcast. April is National Donate Life Month, and our topic today is about organ donation. CT Paid Leave recognizes that either donating or receiving an organ as well as bone marrow donation are considered a serious health condition, and if you qualify, you can get up to 12 weeks of income replacement. I have a great podcast for you. My guests are amazing. Caitlin Bernabucci A longtime friend. She's the new Director of Community Affairs and Development of New England Donor Services. Annie Landeen is the RN lLving Donor Transplant Coordinator for Hartford Hospital. And finally, Representative Jeff Currey. He is an organ recipient. He was re elected to a fourth term to serve the 11th Assembly District, which is made up of East Hartford, Manchester and South Windsor. And then Jeff needed a new kidney, and took to his awesome social media with Jeff needs a Kidney and a website and videos, and then his friend Karen, ironically, was a match and ended up being his donor. So Jeff, let me start by asking you, do you think being a public figure helped you get a kidney?

Jeff Currey:

It definitely helped you know you have a different platform and a whole bunch of different ears that are listening when you are talking. And so it's definitely like a level of privilege that I think a lot of folks don't have who find themselves in that situation. And so, you know, the only option, by two options, in my mind, it was either find somebody who can give you a kidney or not live much longer the way that I was living, or at all at that case. And so, you know, being able to just kind of be very open about it, and in the hopes that other people would kind of hear that and take that same steps themselves, to, you know, better, their own health conditions.

Nancy Barrow:

Well, it's interesting, because it could have gone either way. For you, like some people in public office wouldn't want people to know they're sick, you know, because there's that perception of, am I going to get reelected? Or do they think I'm not healthy? Or so, did that ever cross your mind?

Jeff Currey:

No, but there were people who did, I would say, less than five reached out and thought it wasn't a good idea for me to continue doing what I was doing because of this and not I mean, I also did this in the middle of a pandemic. I mean, that added a whole other layer to this. But anybody who knows me, first off, as far as putting this out there. I mean, I'm an open book. I'm not hiding anything. So, yeah, there was no other way to do this.

Nancy Barrow:

Well, there could have been a different way, but you were really social media savvy about it. You really were. You used what you knew, the tool that you use all the time, which you're great on. But did you ask friends to get tested, or what did you do?

Jeff Currey:

I didn't. I didn't specifically go to them and ask them. They just, out of the goodness of their own heart, either, you know, heard the story from me, from other friends, family. We started the website. We mailed decals out all around the country. So there were people driving all around this country who were then reaching out to the hospital to get tested. Kudos to the hospital, because the level of engagement that they had on this.I think, you know, not to brag, but I think it was like the second highest they were

Nancy Barrow:

You are involved to get fair treatment for organ saying. And so because of that, other people were actually able to get matched in different situations. So this was not just donors. about me. I mean that that's first and foremost. I mean, my

Jeff Currey:

Yeah, so we actually just passed the Living tattoo here we before me is just the way in which I live. And so Donor Protection Act and so they wouldn't be able to be it was all about making this as an inclusive process as I could. discriminated against with regards to insurance coverage and just having it added to the paid leave piece. You know, once people realize how easy quote, unquote, it is to donate an organ it's that last barrier of Well, I have a job like I need to take time off. How am I going to do this? And so now that that's on the table, I hope that this is a total game changer for people. It just goes to show that this was important. It is important to get this done.

Nancy Barrow:

How did you find out that you actually needed a kidney?

Jeff Currey:

So I've been working with a nephrologist for a number of years just kind of monitoring. It's all about blood tests and all the things. And were you not feeling well? Or like some random old man, no offense, old man, I got gout. That was kind of the first trigger of something might be wrong. So after about, I don't know, 789, years of working with the doctor, it finally got to the point where, okay, this is going to be your reality, and you need to start this process. When you sit in that for a minute, it's sort of daunting when you think about that you're relying on the kindness of someone else.

Nancy Barrow:

You might be we before me, but not everybody thinks that way.

Jeff Currey:

Yeah, they don't. But I like to think that the way in which I approach it and put it out there, that it brings those people in. And so, you know, it's all about what you project. And so hopefully you kind of, you get that back. And I did. So Karen was your donor, and how did that come about? So she kind of had been going along this journey, and, you know, knew she was going to get tested. And honestly, the both of us from the jump knew that the two of us are going to be the match. And then when I got that call, it was two months to the date that I posted that the Facebook video that they called and said, She is your match. And then did it roll pretty fast after that? Is it pretty quick? It was not, not as quick as I would have liked, but it was pretty quick. And then at the start of 2020, is when I actually had the, excuse me, 2021 is when I had the transplant. So yeah, it was a couple, a couple months later. So yeah, it was transplant. January 5, I woke up and I got sworn into my fourth term in my hospital bed, I am dedicated.

Nancy Barrow:

They don't waste any time do they gotta work?

Jeff Currey:

The people's work. Come on now.

Nancy Barrow:

So how long were you down? You know, how long were you recuperating?

Jeff Currey:

So my circumstances were definitely a bit different than the norm. The norm is, you know, you're in the hospital for, I don't know, roughly five, seven days, maybe, and you're out. There was other things that occurred. So it was a little bit more of a lengthy stay and going back to live with my parents for eight weeks. I mean, I don't have a husband at home. I'm accepting applications! So yeah. So I went back and live with my parents for eight weeks, and then went back to my own home the beginning of March, and it was remote work with the legislature kind of force.

Nancy Barrow:

Which was fantastic. If there was any timing that had to be good!

Jeff Currey:

I say that all the time. It's so weird to be like, yeah, let's get one in a pandemic. But honestly, everything kind of aligned and allowed me to be able to recuperate and get everything done that I needed to do without it appearing that I wasn't able to do everything to the level I normally do, which I did,

Nancy Barrow:

Yeah, which, of course, was there any guilt when Karen's like, I'm a match. I'm doing this. I don't know. I would be like, Oh my god, I can't even ask that of you.

Jeff Currey:

No, no. And the reason I say that is of the work that goes into that, that leading up to it, the work with the team at Hartford Hospital, and the testing that you go through to ensure that your donor is going to be able to live a long, healthy and productive life. There's just no question that when they say, This is it, they've already checked all of those boxes, crossed those T's out of those i's. And so you know, it's now just, let's get to the surgery and let's get this done.

Nancy Barrow:

You came in and you said that you had a doctor's appointment. Do you have regular appointments that you have to check in with your doctor?

Jeff Currey:

I do, and so they're very I mean, you're you essentially live at the clinic after you have a transplant, and you're in and out on an almost daily basis. I've now moved to six months. It's a good spot to be in, and it makes you, makes you feel better about kind of the whole situation.

Nancy Barrow:

How was the whole situation when you found out you needed a new kidney. What was that conversation like with your family?

Jeff Currey:

So I found out on the 31st of the year before, and so I remember hanging up the phone, I think I cried for about 30 seconds, and then I was like, Okay, well, we're not gonna cry about this, because there's stuff we have to do now. I text my family and I said, I don't want to talk about this right now. This is what I know, and we'll talk about this later, and then I likely didn't start the process as soon as my doctor would have liked to, but at three months in, he's like, Jeff, we're doing this now. Nobody in your family wants to see you sick. Kidney disease runs in the family. You know, my mother's brother passed when they were younger of kidney disease, and so I think she kind of had a different emotion going on. My mother and I are thick as thieves, and you know, she doesn't want to see me hurt, sick or anything like that.

Nancy Barrow:

And what is your life like post surgery and post transplant? Do you have to take meds all the time?

Jeff Currey:

Yes, yeah. So I will be on meds for the foreseeable future. And you know, we're obviously still living in the times we're living 2020. Was not meant to be a trilogy, but here we are. And so yeah, it's just taking the safeguards and getting vaccinated. I'll have my fourth shot in a couple of weeks. I hope to be glowing by now.So, yeah, the only thing that I think you notice every once in a while, fun fact for people out there. When you get into kidney transplant, they don't remove your two kidneys that you already have. They put the third one, it's right into the side. So occasionally you'll because I am a slender individual, you can actually see it and feel the bump.

Nancy Barrow:

Yeah, you're kidding I didn't know that!

Jeff Currey:

That's why they tell you you can't do like contact sports. And then, I mean, I'm not trying out for a football team, maybe, yeah, right.

Nancy Barrow:

Do you eat differently? Have you changed your life at all after that? Or were you always pretty healthy?

Jeff Currey:

From the outside appearance, I looked healthy. I definitely didn't take care of myself the way that I should. And now that I have Supergirl, we call her Supergirl inside of me, and Karen is obviously in the health or in the food business.She kind of monitors what I my intake is, and ensuring that I'm not, you know, ruining her kidney, which I remind her, is now my kidney, but

Nancy Barrow:

You have three kidneys. That's amazing.Yeah, I call them adultneys, because I'm too old for kidneys. Yeah, three adultneys. You put some legislation together so we could change that to adult needs. Is there going to be a fifth term? Or what do you think? What are your What are your thoughts on?

Jeff Currey:

Works filed. Fundraisers already happened, and we're set for November 2022.

Nancy Barrow:

And you're not the only person who's in politics, who's who's had to have a donor.

Jeff Currey:

Yeah, correct. Senator Looney, the President of the Senate, who is a few years older than I am, got himself a kidney about a year before I did. He's chugging along and doing what he needs to do in his chamber.

Nancy Barrow:

So did you ever compare notes, or did you talk to him about it?

Jeff Currey:

So I did once, actually, and it was afterwards, and my levels weren't to where we wanted them to be. And so I went to him, and I said, What's your level on this? And he's like, it's, Oh, it's this. And I go, why do you have like, a seven year old kidney, and I have this like a 90 year old Kidney, So we laughed a little bit, but yeah, no, we're both, both doing well.

Nancy Barrow:

Now, have you had people come up to you and say, Hey, I'm getting a kidney?

Jeff Currey:

Oh, everybody is yes, yes. Everybody thinks that you're now an expert, and you know, it's been, it's been great though, because if people then feel comfortable to come and talk to you and have that conversation, you know, I'm not the expert, so I at least know where to send them off to to have, you know, the conversation of, you know, if their family member needs a kid new or if they're considering donating to somebody else. So, yeah, no, it's been some great conversations.

Nancy Barrow:

Annie Landeen, who is the Hartford healthcare RN Living Donor Program Coordinator, tell me a little bit about what you do.

Annie Landeen:

So my job is to help any potential living donors start their process with education and getting them through their what we call a workup in order for them to actually donate.

Nancy Barrow:

And how long is that process?

Annie Landeen:

There's not, like, set appointments, I would say, generally, if everything goes absolutely well, we're thinking like three to four appointments before they donate. However, if there's some additional testing that needs to complete it, they might have to do a couple extra appointments. But it just, it's dependent on the donor, to be honest.

Nancy Barrow:

And what is the criteria if you're a donor.

Annie Landeen:

So the criteria for donors is really just to be in good general health. We do screen donors 18 and up, but we don't have an age limit. We see a lot of older donors come through. And you know, we take a case by case. It's not easy to pass our our exam. It's not because, not only medically, we're looking psychosocially. We don't want to put anybody in debt doing this from time off work, you know, all that good

Nancy Barrow:

Now we have Connecticut Paid Leave, so we're okay. We're okay. Annie!

Jeff Currey:

I wish Karen were here, because her favorite stories to tell are the testing process. Yeah, and, and what if you find her on social media? You one of the greatest things she has is the video she created, because you have to provide urine tests. She had to fill jugs. Well, Karen, what Karen is an overachiever. So she went a little too far and everything. So she wound up having to do this, like fill the jugs. Is what we called it, like three different times. And so she made videos with them. Oh yeah. We tried to have as much fun with this. Oh my gosh.

Annie Landeen:

We don't want over collection. That's what Karen probably did.

Nancy Barrow:

That's the stuff that I think is really interesting for people they don't know. Those things that you got to fill jugs, you know, and you were, you were telling me earlier that some people just come in and say, I just want to donate to somebody. They don't have someone in mind. They'll just come to you and say, I want to do something good for someone that I don't even know.

Annie Landeen:

Yes, it's amazing. And we call them Altruistic donors. So they call us and they say, I have no specific recipient to donate to, but I want to help somebody. And it's amazing. They help somebody with a living, you know, with their living donation.

Nancy Barrow:

I think that is the most unbelievable thing I have ever heard that's amazing, is it usually a family member or a friend? Is that usually how it works?

Annie Landeen:

I think initially, people go to their family first. However, we tend to see that there's more people that are not really related to the recipients. So it could be anybody. And this is why we try to teach our recipients, you know, put that message out there to as many people as you can, because you just really never know who you're going to reach and who's going to actually make that call to us.

Nancy Barrow:

I think I remember seeing a billboard about someone needing a kidney,

Annie Landeen:

yes, yes. And that person did find a kidney. It was a great piece that they put out. And, you know, I tell everybody, you don't have to do the billboard thing, but certainly, if you want to, and you have the means, sure, why not?

Nancy Barrow:

Or you could be like, you know, Jeff Currey, whouses social media a lot cheaper than a billboard, but still the same effect.

Annie Landeen:

I and I have found that even through these covid times, you know, social media is the place to go. I say, do what you feel.Most comfortable, but social media is going to be the quickest way to get that information out there. Absolutely. Have your friends share your message. Share your message. Have your friends share your message.

Nancy Barrow:

Caitlin Bernabucci, who is from the New England Donor Services, you have a similar story about your mom, and is that the reason that you got involved?

Caitlyn Bernabucci:

Yes, 100% so it's been 18 years now, and it's remarkable to me, my mom is doing great. She's healthy, she's active, she's retired, and she has been given the opportunity to do so many things that she would not have been able to do without the gift of life from her donor. She was 49 years old when we found out that she was in end stage liver failure. And I was away at college, I remember coming home and talking to the wonderful surgeon at Hereford hospital, Dr Hall, and he told us that if she did not receive a liver transplant within a week, that she would die. And my mom had been so healthy up until that point, and just had some things on going on that we didn't know about. But to get that kind of reality check was it was very shocking for us, and we hadn't really thought about donation before. My mom and dad had always told us, like, when you get your driver's license, you can be a registered donor, and it's the right thing to do. So we were always we were all proud registered donors. Never really thought about what that would mean or what that would look like for us to need to receive. She ended up waiting a very short amount of time and received her liver transplant, and is doing great. I mean, has seen me get married, my brother graduate college, three grandkids be born. She's it changed the path of my life in many ways, but I feel so dedicated to this work and to this cause and relate to helping people understand what a truly wonderful gift. I mean, it changes lives, and it's something that we really can all do, whether it's through living donation or signing up on your driver's license or online through register me.org for deceased donation, everyone can do it, and there's really no reason not to, right?

Nancy Barrow:

And some communities, it's tougher, you know, you know they're skeptical about that, and do you see that you're making some inroads to that?

Caitlyn Bernabucci:

I think so. I truly believe so. I think the more that we can share stories of people whose lives have been saved through donation, the more times we can tell the story of a donor who gave the gift of life, either in life or after death, I think that it helps people understand, really, the beauty of the process, and that it is a very safe clinical process that's heavily regulated and watched over. And no one gets into medicine to do anything besides save someone's life. They're trying to save their patient's life. So I really hope that people will begin to understand that, really, that's a myth that is perpetuated really well by the media, it makes for a lot of good TV shows. But hospitals don't really can't hasten death, because people do have certain beliefs when it comes to donation and misunderstandings. And I really do encourage people to get the facts about donation and to talk to their families about it. I think the thought that you could go and really change the course of someone's life, and you could save someone from death, save someone from years of dialysis, return them back to their families, let them get back to work and be a productive member of society, like that. You can do that, and it's very cool that anyone of any age can be a donor. We don't have an upper age criteria for deceased donation, either We've had donors well into their 70s and 80s that have gone to give healthy organs to someone else, or even the gift of tissue through skin and cornea and bone. It really is amazing what we can give when our work is done here.

Nancy Barrow:

Did your mom know the donor?

Caitlyn Bernabucci:

So she did not know who the donor was. It is an anonymous process from when we talk about deceased donation. It's confidential, but we really encourage both sides to start communication, usually through writing. I remember one of my first training meetings was with our donor Family Care program manager, and the first question she asked me was, so your mom's a recipient? She had been transplanted. Then for about two years, did you write to Did your mom write to her donors family? And we, we honestly had not at that point, and talked to her for a long time, and I just said, we don't know what to say, like we are so overwhelmed by this incredible gift of life that this person has given us, and we knew at the time they did share that he was an 18 year old male, and it it just felt like we could never find the right words to say to this family, this grieving mom and dad and brother, that we're so grateful because we have our mom. And she looked at me and she said, Well, it's time for you to write the letter. She's like, No excuses. I don't want to hear it. Sit down and write the letter. So we did. So we wrote immediately. My mom wrote a letter. I wrote a letter. My dad wrote a letter my brother. Because we were so full of this gratitude, but we're fearful of what to say. We didn't want to upset the family. As soon as we wrote to the family, we heard right back, and they had been waiting to hear from us. They were just so happy to know that there is their son David, that his life had so much meaning to another family, and we had found out, and we ended up meeting them, and now they're a part of our family. David was a registered donor, and had said to his mom when he signed up, he's like, Hey, I'm not going to need these. So give them to somebody that does. And he did. I mean, he gave this incredible gift of years and years to my mom and to our family.

Nancy Barrow:

And when you hear stories like that, I mean of you and your mom, you know, like, there's Jeff's story, there's Selena Gomez, who had a living donor, a friend of hers too.

Jeff Currey:

I appreciate you putting me on the same stage as Selena Gomez.

Caitlyn Bernabucci:

I definitely think through more storytelling, more people will understand how important it is. I think it's one of those things it's easy to say, Oh, well, it doesn't affect me, so I don't need to sign up. But I think that more people need to realize that a it could affect you. I mean, your likelihood of ending up with especially some kind of kidney problem, is pretty high, and the need for kidneys is huge. I mean, over it's over 100,000 people waiting for an organ, and 85% of those are in need of a kidney. So we definitely need you to register as a donor if you want to be a donor, and then if you are ready to donate a kidney, now, do it now, because there

Jeff Currey:

I'm going to make such terrible admission. Yeah. So I renewed my license this last year because it's one of those, those birthdays, and I look down, I did not have the heart on that, oh, and the level of and so then I immediately went to social media, and I was like, pull out your license. And so you're even, you're listening right now, pull out that license. Take a look. If you do not see that heart, do what you have to do to get that heart on there to be that to be an organ donor.

Nancy Barrow:

That's, yeah, all I think that you can really do is just educate people.

Annie Landeen:

somebody gets placed on a deceased wait list, it's five to seven years for kidney. Five to seven years that they may wait to receive a kidney, and that's a lot of time for things in their own health to continue changing. They may have to start dialysis. So, you know, we really try to preach living donation, because that's huge for them. They can get transplanted quicker. They can be feeling better. They may not have to go on dialysis. It's, it's really important that people know about it. So did you you didn't have to go on dialysis? Or I was fortunate enough where it had everything not happened in the way it did, and at the time it did, that would have been the next step, yeah, because my friend had to have dialysis, and it really wiped him out, like it was a tough that's a tough thing to go and it's a commitment. I mean, you're there multiple days, multiple hours at a time. Yeah, there's no it's It's hard enough to live your life when you are sick like that. But to add that on top of that whole different picture, do minorities have a tougher time getting donors and matches in my experience, yes, number one, because sometimes what has caused their kidney disease may run in the family or, you know, they just don't have a large family or a large network of people. They're scared to go out there and ask to look for donors. So we really try to teach the minorities what they need to do to find that living donor. We offer assistance in what we call our donor champion class, where we have them and their families come in, and we try to teach them, what should they be doing outside of our program to find that living donor? What do you think the biggest hurdle is they're scared. I feel like a lot of people don't want to ask for a kidney, and I tell them straight out, do not ask for a kidney.

Jeff Currey:

You're asking for a piece of somebody's body. How is that normal?

Annie Landeen:

Yeah. They're scared. They, you know, they don't want to put their family in a situation where they may need a kidney later in life. But, you know, I try to really assure them that our job is to make sure it is safe for their donor to donate. You know, we'll do everything to keep them safe, including deferring them, if that's it like. What is the downtime for someone who donates? So once they donate their kidney, they're only in the hospital, I would say up to 48 hours. We really try to get them back home, but the full recovery somewhere between six to eight weeks, depending on what they do. I meant most people are working from home. Now, you do a little typing and lay back down when you're tired, but somebody that does manual labor, we would definitely say more like eight weeks.

Jeff Currey:

I wish Karen were here so you could yell at her. So you could yell at her.

Nancy Barrow:

Did she go back to work?

Jeff Currey:

If she were here and you knew her. Yes, she was back as soon as she could essentially put one foot in front of the other. We up to her all the time.

Nancy Barrow:

So Caitlin, what do you think the biggest hurdle is for you at New England donor services?

Caitlyn Bernabucci:

In Connecticut, only 46% of our adult population is registered. Honestly, we're falling way behind all the other New England states. We need to do better. I mean, at least half of the population we need, we need to see that. Why are we so low? Do you have any ideas about that? Like, I really think that it's in education. People need more access to the facts about donation. So any opportunity that we have to tell a story, a positive story, about donation, to share a myth, to let people know that this is real and impacting people right now and that they need to make a decision. The hard part about the donation side that we we see is deceased donation is tied to something that nobody wants to talk about, death and dying, right? So anything that kind of is in that line makes people sometimes feel uncomfortable. But the Connecticut DMV, even though our so our rate of registered donors, we measure through the DMV, is low, they go above and beyond when it comes to helping people register and that kind of support, that system support is so important to us. If you have some concerns about donation, you're worried about your health care being compromised, which it absolutely won't be worried about what that means for your end of life plans. Talk to your family, get the get the right information about it and make a decision.

Jeff Currey:

It seems like we almost need to get to driver's ed classes to include because, I mean, 16, 17, year old, 18 year olds, I don't really think are thinking that whole sentimental gift of life kind of mentality like no offense to the young people, but I don't think that's first and foremost in their mind. So anything. My mother was a former commissioner at DMV, wonderful. She was very supportive of these initiatives, and even before anything that was going on with me, yeah. So yeah, there might be something, might be something to this, that even we might be able to talk about legislation.

Caitlyn Bernabucci:

So we would love that, because I agree, I think that people really it needs to be front and center for people, and I really think that that's why we're at 46% .

Nancy Barrow:

And that's one of the things I love about Connecticut Paid Leave, that it really addresses organ donation and bone marrow. Bone marrow can can save people when they're really at their sickest,

Annie Landeen:

And then when a patient is in need of a bone marrow transplant and didn't have a family member or donor, that hospital would come to our registry and search the registry to try and find a match. So a lot of those, anybody that was coming to that registry at the time was unrelated and had no clue who they were actually donating to.

Nancy Barrow:

So bone marrow donor, you think, oh, man, that's gonna hurt, yeah, but it's not the same anymore.

Annie Landeen:

No. So now, you know, the the older way, I would say, would be the bone marrow harvest, but more these days, they're doing the stem cells through apheresis, so it's really similar to a blood donation, and it's a quick recovery as well.

Nancy Barrow:

So tell me what this kidney swap is all about.

Annie Landeen:

So basically, if you're not compatible to your recipient, if I wanted to donate to Jeff, we're not blood type compatible, I still want to donate and help him, then I would go through the kidney swap program, which is my job, and I coordinate those. Help coordinate those so I would donate to somebody in the registry that matches me, and in return, we would find the match for Jeff, the perfect match. The other good thing about the registry, this kidney registry, is that everybody in there has a donor. They're just not compatible. And way back in the day, it used to stop if you're not compatible to somebody, okay, that's it. That's all we can do for you. And then this really smart gentleman created this kidney swap program, and sometimes it's like 810, people sometimes, yeah, it's crazy. So it's it's just amazing, even the people that still continue if they are not a compatible match, like it's amazing to hear that they really do want to help. And not only are they helping their intended recipient, but they're also helping somebody else in that registry. And so basically,

Jeff Currey:

And those are the toughest conversations. Those you're saving two lives, those when you ask, Is it tough? That's the hardest one, yeah. And because a lot of times people step up for you, because you're you and you have that relationship, but when it's Oh, would you still do it if, yeah, that that's when you see the shift in people's like emotion and and luckily, I didn't have to have that conversation, kind of preparing for that.

Annie Landeen:

Yeah, it doesn't stop at the, you know, the match. And people often think that with kidneys, we are blood typing, with bone marrow, it's a little bit different.

Nancy Barrow:

Where can people get a hold of you?

Annie Landeen:

All they have to do is call our line, 860-696-2021,or they can go on to the Hartford Hospital, dot O, R, G and do online. Look it up online.

Nancy Barrow:

And Caitlin, how can they get a hold of you?

Caitlyn Bernabucci:

New England Donor Services, nads.org, and my phone number, 475-279-7938,.

Nancy Barrow:

Representative Jeff Currey, any more tests you have to take? Are you in the clear?

Jeff Currey:

The biggest test I have coming up is that they take a blood draw to see how much of Karen's DNA is in my body. So there's certain levels that, if it's over, there's potential sign of rejections and such. And so, you know, leading up to the first this is the only time I want none of you and so and it came back and there was, there was hardly any of her and me.

Nancy Barrow:

So we don't have to be like, Oh my God, he's a This has been so great. You guys are awesome. Thank you so much. I think it's such great work, what you're all Karen, too.

Jeff Currey:

Exactly exactly! doing. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Nancy Barrow:

You can go to ctpaidleave.org for more information. This has been another edition of The Paid Leave Podcast. Please like and subscribe so you'll be notified about new podcasts that become available. Connecticut Paid Leave is a public act with a personal purpose. I'm Nancy Barrow, and thanks for listening.

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Nancy Barrow

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