For one local woman, the decision to give her kidney to an old friend is already changing both their lives for the better.
East Rochester resident Sandi McLean and Charles “Chuck” Ickes, both 43, went to middle school and high school together in Olean, N.Y. They lost touch after graduation, after he moved to Florida and joined the Navy while she got married and had two daughters.
Then in 2009, they reconnected on Facebook. As they began communicating, McLean was surprised to learn that her former classmate had been suffering from kidney failure.
The energetic young man she used to know was now undergoing dialysis treatment that made him unable to work. The more they talked, the more she wondered how she could help.
“The whole thing touched my heart from the beginning,” McLean said. “I thought, what can I do as a friend?”
She visited Ickes in Florida several times and noticed his health and youth slipping away more with each visit. Although he had been on the waiting list for a kidney for two years, doctors told him it would likely be another two years before he received one.
Last year, McLean decided to see if she would be a compatible match. Last spring, she began a series of thorough tests through the Mayo Clinic in Florida.
After more than three months of screening procedures it was confirmed that she was a perfect match.
Falling ill
After serving 12 years in the Navy in operation Desert Storm and operation Provide Comfort, Ickes worked as a sheriff’s deputy in Florida.
He was just 39 when he started to feel ill. At the time, he worked a night shift and figured it was due to lack of sleep. But the sickness persisted.
“It went from bad to worse,” he said. “I was constantly throwing up, and my legs would feel solid.”
After a trip to the emergency room, a blood test showed that his kidneys were failing. He was shocked by the diagnosis. Doctors then explained that his condition was likely caused by stress and high blood pressure.
During his 12 years on the police force outside Orlando, Fla. Ickes was heavily involved with a work release program that required him to find employment for former prisoners in county jail.
He would also supervise inmates who were in the hospital. He regularly had to restrain those attempting to escape or attack others.
His duties also included bringing inmates to the showers. Among the prisoners he oversaw was Troy Victorino, who was convicted of killing six people over an XBOX.
For one local woman, the decision to give her kidney to an old friend is already changing both their lives for the better.
East Rochester resident Sandi McLean and Charles “Chuck” Ickes, both 43, went to middle school and high school together in Olean, N.Y. They lost touch after graduation, after he moved to Florida and joined the Navy while she got married and had two daughters.
Then in 2009, they reconnected on Facebook. As they began communicating, McLean was surprised to learn that her former classmate had been suffering from kidney failure.
The energetic young man she used to know was now undergoing dialysis treatment that made him unable to work. The more they talked, the more she wondered how she could help.
“The whole thing touched my heart from the beginning,” McLean said. “I thought, what can I do as a friend?”
She visited Ickes in Florida several times and noticed his health and youth slipping away more with each visit. Although he had been on the waiting list for a kidney for two years, doctors told him it would likely be another two years before he received one.
Last year, McLean decided to see if she would be a compatible match. Last spring, she began a series of thorough tests through the Mayo Clinic in Florida.
After more than three months of screening procedures it was confirmed that she was a perfect match.
Falling ill
After serving 12 years in the Navy in operation Desert Storm and operation Provide Comfort, Ickes worked as a sheriff’s deputy in Florida.
He was just 39 when he started to feel ill. At the time, he worked a night shift and figured it was due to lack of sleep. But the sickness persisted.
“It went from bad to worse,” he said. “I was constantly throwing up, and my legs would feel solid.”
After a trip to the emergency room, a blood test showed that his kidneys were failing. He was shocked by the diagnosis. Doctors then explained that his condition was likely caused by stress and high blood pressure.
During his 12 years on the police force outside Orlando, Fla. Ickes was heavily involved with a work release program that required him to find employment for former prisoners in county jail.
He would also supervise inmates who were in the hospital. He regularly had to restrain those attempting to escape or attack others.
His duties also included bringing inmates to the showers. Among the prisoners he oversaw was Troy Victorino, who was convicted of killing six people over an XBOX.
The pressure of the job eventually took its toll on Ickes’ health.
“I wasn’t in fear for my life, but you always know (the danger) is there,” he said.
Now, when he goes to a dialysis clinic three times a week, he’s usually the youngest person in the room.
He objected when McLean first volunteered to test, and he admits he’s worried about how the operation will impact her if there are complications.
Although his health insurance will cover the procedure itself, a charity fund has been set up to cover other medical expenses for them both. Ickes said he friend’s gift will not go forgotten.
“I'm just kind of overwhelmed and grateful,” he said.
A friendship
He signed up for Facebook when he was forced to stop working. Neither he nor McLean expected the social networking site to lead to a lifesaving connection.
The two communicate daily as they look ahead to the operation on Oct. 2. Even though it’s her first-ever surgery, she’s confident that it will bring a good outcome.
“What I’m hoping to get out of this is to give Chuck his life back,” said McLean. “He is so young, and he’s got a lot of years ahead of him. To see him this ill for this long already has been tough.”
Their class of 1987 recently held their 25th high school reunion, and their classmates were elated to hear news of the match shortly afterward.
“I’m hoping to get that jokester Chuck back to life and full of energy again,” she said.
Their families and friends continue to show their support.
His sisters still live in Olean, where he will be visiting for a fundraiser in early September.
McLean’s two daughters, ages 20 and 23, and her coworkers at the Village of East Rochester, where she has worked the past seven years, have been wholly supportive of her decision.
The need for more living kidney donors continues to be great, as approximately 4,500 Americans who don’t receive a kidney die each year.
“There are a lot of people on a waiting list for a kidney, and if you can get out there and test it would be saving somebody’s life,” said McLean.
For her, it will also mean helping a friend.
“It’s going to be beneficial watching a person you’ve helped get better," she said.
