Richmond Hill pastor donates kidney to church member

SPECIAL

Ken Biber, left, stands with Pastor Alfred Banks of Daniel Baptist Church in Richmond Hill. It was from the church's pulpit that Banks informed Biber he would be the kidney donor for the 66-year-old diabetic. The successful surgery was performed May 12 at St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla.

Eighteen months.

That's how long 66-year-old Ken Biber, a member of Daniel Baptist Church in Richmond Hill, was told in Sept. 2003 he would have to wait on a kidney transplant.

A diabetic, Biber had been put into the hospital a month earlier with pneumonia. The visit resulted in his going on dialysis and being told he needed a new kidney.

In thinking of his options and the sacrifices a live donor would make, Biber made a decision. "I didn't want to disturb anyone's life," he says, "so I decided to get one from a cadaver."

The problem was that at any time there are up to 15,000 recipients nationwide waiting for donors. A shortage looms for available organs, mostly due to people not declaring themselves a donor prior to death.

When told of the wait time for a suitable transfer, Biber grew aware of his shrinking options. Those concerns mounted with a doctor's advice to hope for something other than a cadaver kidney.

"I knew I didn't have 18 months to wait," he says.

Once word got out about Biber's health, his pastor, Alfred Banks, began to look at himself as a potential donor.

"We had seen Ken's health going down quickly," recollects Banks, 56. "He was slowing down quite a bit. When I heard he needed a new kidney, I knew instantly I would give him mine.

"I noticed that Ken was getting weaker and weaker. He was still teaching Sunday School each week, but with more difficulty."

Instead of telling Biber privately, Banks announced to the church from the pulpit in late Jan. that "there is someone in our congregation who needs help."

Banks continued, saying, "There are times when life's decisions are totally spirit-driven." Looking at Biber, he said, "You're going to get a new kidney."

Banks had already taken it upon himself to be tested as a possible donor. To the amazement of the doctors, he was a match. Odds of a non-relative being suitable had been slim.

Up until that point, Banks had already offered himself as a donor, but been rejected by Biber. This time he accepted.

A series of tests at St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla. confirmed Banks' availability as a donor. For a week the pastor had his heart checked, lay inside an MRI machine to have his breathing examined, had numerous blood tests and went through a urine-catch process (think: jug).

A converted Jew, Biber's role at Daniel had grown. In addition to teaching senior adult Sunday School for "16-17 years," he had also been a technician with the church's sound system.

On May 12, the two men drove to St. Luke's in separate cars with their wives. Coincidentally, both couples met in the parking lot before going inside the hospital for the surgery.

For the procedure, doctors needed to conduct a final round of tests following the removal of the kidney from Banks and prior to its placement in Biber. The recipient even made a personal inspection as the kidney lay in a pan of saline solution beside him.

"There it is, my personal Holy Grail," Biber joked for the doctors and nurses.

A stronger relationship

Just before surgery, both Banks' and Biber's operating teams joined in prayer.

The surgery was a success. In Oct., Biber went for a checkup. Instead of functioning at the expected 14%, the kidney was working at 44% capacity.

Since then, their relationship has grown even stronger.

"We were pretty solid before the surgery," says Biber. "We knew we would give up a lot for each other even prior to that. Our families have gotten closer."

"Being part of such a miracle has overwhelmed me," agrees Banks. "This experience has blessed me to the depths of my soul that I can't even explain it."