Organ donations in the African American community
A spiritual call

   By Jonathan Gramling

   When Matthew Winston visited Mt. Zion Baptist Church, he thought he heard the call of Gospel music. He jointed the Mt. Zion Baptist Church choir in
early 2007. But perhaps what he was really there for was something more spiritual, more profound. Anthony Brown, a member of Mt. Zion, was in need of a
kidney transplant. He was on dialysis at UW Hospital and Clinics. Neither of his kidneys was functioning well.
    Rev. Richard Jones, pastor of Mt. Zion, arose out of the pulpit in September 2007 to issue a plea to the congregation to help Brown. Winston was there to
sing with the choir. He was actually there to hear a message. “I felt when Pastor was mentioning it that he was talking to me,” Winston said over coffee at a
coffee shop. While Jones was speaking in general to the congregation, Winston felt it was a personal call to him.
    Winston didn’t just jump up and say he would become a kidney donor. He had to go through a spiritual process to make the decision and to overcome
some fear and reluctance. “I had never thought about organ donation before this,” Winston confided. “I didn’t even have it on my license. Through certain
spiritual explorations I had done before, I felt it was important to keep my body intact and not donate organs. In this moment when the pastor called on me,
called on the congregation, it changed how I felt about it. It’s now on my license plate. And in my power of attorney, I have indicated that I am a candidate
for organ donation — whatever they can use — after I die.”
    And while Winston knew deep in his heart that he was the one who would make the donation to Brown, the UW’s organ transplant system went through a
comprehensive process to ensure that Winston was, indeed, the one. “I got tested,” Winston said. “At first, I think I was the prime candidate to donate to
Anthony. Then Mary Shanahan, the UW transplant coordinator, called me back and told me they had someone who was a better match. But they wanted to
call me if that one fell through. I said ‘Sure.’ And inwardly I was saying ‘You’ll be calling me back.’ I think it was another three weeks and I’m thinking to myself
‘I wonder when Mary is going to call me back?’ Within 48 hours, she called and told me they needed me. There was an absolute certainty in me the whole
time, from the moment the pastor announced it.”
    When Winston received word from Shanahan at the beginning of January that he would be the donor, he picked February 14, Valentine’s Day, as the date
of the operation because to Winston, it was all about love.
    The night before the operation, Winston had to begin preparations for the surgery. He had to follow strict dietary instructions and wash his midsection with
a special antibacterial soap. He also had to take a laxative so that his system would be clean before surgery.
    Before the operation took place on February 14, Winston and Brown participated in a final spiritual preparation. “We had this beautiful prayer session with
Unity people and Mt. Zion people,” Winston said. “We all came together and my minister from Unity gave Anthony a prayer shawl. They had given me one
the previous Sunday at Unity. Anthony was really touched by that. Anthony voiced it, but I felt it too that he was so grateful it took place.”
    While Winston had always had a sense of certainty about making the donation, others in his family had questioned his decision. “I didn’t even know about
it, but there is a statistic that a high percentage of people back out the night before surgery,” Winston said. “So I didn’t even know that Brenda and Anthony
were on pins and needles thinking I might have second thoughts and back out. For me, there was never a second thought once I decided to go for it. My
mother wasn’t real happy with it. My sister wasn’t happy with it too. They said they would do it for family, but they wouldn’t do it for someone they didn’t know.
To me, it is all about creating intended family. The highest Christian ethic for me is community and creating intended family. It goes beyond the blood. It’s
not about blood; it’s about the relationships we forge in life and the love we feel for each other.”
    The actual operation took about four hours for Winston and six hours for Anthony. Winston stayed in the hospital for several days before returning home. He
was forced to return to the hospital once again for a bowel obstruction caused by the adhesions which had typically formed after the surgery. While he
remained in the hospital for several days and it was quite painful, the bowel obstruction cleared up without additional surgery.
    When asked if he would do it again knowing some of the challenges he faced as a kidney donor, Winston immediately said yes. “I’m sorry I don’t have
another kidney to give,’ Winston emphasized. “It really is an incredible sense of brotherhood that I have with Anthony. I don’t think that naturally is the case
with every donor and recipient. The bond we feel is pretty profound. I feel that way about his family. His wife is an incredible person. I feel a sense of much
more belonging at Mt. Zion in a way that I hadn’t before. It’s just a sense of satisfaction that I did a good thing. One of the doctors I met at UW before the
surgery told me that there are statistics that say that actually people with one kidney live longer than people who have both. I think one of the things he cited
was the satisfaction and feeling that they had really done something special.”
    Although Winston was the kidney donor, he also received something in return. While he went to Mt. Zion because of the Gospel music, he ended up
finding a spiritual home. He was baptized at the church and is a regular member of the choir. Most importantly, he found and gave the gift of life.
(Above) Anthony Brown
(l) and James Rumph
(Left) Matthew Winston
donated one of his kidneys to
Anthony Brown on February 14.