A kidney, straight from the heart

Published: February 12, 2006 | 3507th good news item since 2003

While many people wrestle with finding the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for their spouses, Jane Picone knew exactly what to give her husband — her kidney.

On Tuesday, the Andover Township resident will donate her left kidney to her husband Al, who suffers from a genetic polycystic kidney disease. [The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Polycystic Kidney Disease]

“Thirty-five years ago I gave my heart to him, and this year he’s getting my kidney,” she said Friday to her coworkers who threw the couple a surprise party complete with kidney-shaped cupcakes and sandwiches. An office manager and paralegal for Daggett, Kraemer, Eliades, Vanderwiele and Ursin, Jane Picone has worked at the Sparta law office for 28 years.

Al Picone said he was “amazed and touched” by his wife’s decision.

“I’m from the old school where the guy is always the hero, but Tuesday that will change,” he said.

Although he has had the disease for a long time, Picone, a Union pipe fitter, said he really started feeling poorly last year, experiencing extreme exhaustion and muscle fatigue from the poisons that his body could not expel. Picone’s doctors recently told him he had to choose between a transplant or dialysis. [Kidney Dialysis and Transplants: The 'At Your Fingertips' Guide]

“When I told my wife it was going to need to be one or the other, she said she would donate hers,” he said. “There was no hesitation.”

To Jane Picone, the decision seemed obvious.

“I couldn’t think of any reason why not,” Jane Picone said. “There was never a question — I have two kidneys and the other one will grow larger to compensate.”

Thanks to advancements in immunosuppressant drugs which keep the body from rejecting a transplanted organ, the kidneys don’t have to be a perfect match as long as the blood types are compatible, said Jane Picone, who has a universal blood type.

“They also have to mix the bloods together to make sure the cells won’t fight each other,” she said.

Once it was clear that the couple’s blood was compatible, the surgery was scheduled to be performed at Saint Barnabas Hospital in Livingston on Valentine’s Day.

“I think it was intentional,” Jane Picone said with a laugh, adding that she plans to work the day before and be back to work within a week. She said her surgery, which is less invasive than most people think, will last 11/2 hours, while her husband’s will last two to three hours.

“It’s very happy and very hopeful … We’ve met a lot of people going through the same thing,” she said. “We are very fortunate because my husband is older and he is not on dialysis — he would be in a couple of weeks if we weren’t doing this.”

The Picones will celebrate their 30th anniversary on April 4. Married at the ages of 19 and 20, they met in high school and started dating “sometime in 1969.” Al Picone proposed to his wife on top of Garrett Mountain in Paterson.

“I had curlers in my hair,” Jane Picone recalled with a laugh.

Their adult daughter, Laura, said she is a little nervous about the upcoming surgeries.

“It’s scary to have both parents going into major surgery, but it’s a good thing,” she said. “Mom’s so optimistic and my dad’s going to be better than new.”

An energetic and petite woman, Jane Picone was obviously a favorite of the coworkers gathered to wish the couple well on their surgeries.

“Jane is like a second mother to me,” said Holly Reinhardt, an associate attorney at the firm. “I’m worried but very happy for her at the same time.”

“This is a testament to their relationship,” said Lisa Abraham, secretary to Gary Kraemer. [Real Life, Real Love : 7 Paths to a Strong and Lasting Relationship]

“If you know her, you understand why she’s doing it,” Attorney George Daggett said. “She’s just giving all the time.”

Daggett, who has worked with Jane Picone for nearly 30 years, dubbed her “the brains” behind the office’s operation.

“I’m glad the other girl called and said she didn’t want the job,” he joked from across the room.

“Let’s be honest — she called and said she didn’t want the salary,” Jane Picone quickly returned.

The office presented Jane Picone with presents to get her through the surgery, from Valentine’s day pajamas to a finger puppet to keep her company in recovery.

“Maybe it will start talking back to me with the drugs,” she quipped as she held the small puppet.

The couple said they would like people to know that donating an organ to a loved one is easier than most people think.

“A lot of time people have a preconceived notion but the procedures are so much more advanced,” Al Picone said.

“If the situation were reversed he would give me the kidney,” his wife said.

Published in Love
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