Giving the Ultimate Gift

For more than two years, Lieutenant Dan Schermerhorn Jr. underwent dialysis for eight hours, each night while he slept, to treat his kidney disease, IgA nephropathy. An officer with the University’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) for 24 years, Schermerhorn had dealt with this disease for 15 years, until doctors at UR Medicine’s Strong Memorial Hospital told him he needed a new kidney to save his life.

“Replacing a damaged kidney like mine with a new one is like putting new batteries into your flashlight when it’s starting to die, and then you’re back to fully functioning again,” says Schermerhorn. “There’s no more fatigue or dialysis.” A successful transplant returns Schermerhorn to the activities he’s passionate about, but that were restricted by his illness—running, swimming, competing in triathlons, traveling, and spending quality time with his family.

Schermerhorn’s search for a new kidney began in 2016 when he was placed on the kidney transplant waiting list, and he also joined the National Kidney Registry, a non-profit network that aims to match thousands of individuals in need with a compatible, willing donor. Compatibility doesn’t come easily; Schermerhorn’s father tried to be a donor to his son, but after being evaluated for a match, found he was not compatible.

In October 2017, Lieutenant Keri Stein sent an email to the entire Department of Public Safety (about 140 staff members), explaining Schermerhorn’s condition and the living donor process. Several colleagues responded by making appointments to be evaluated as possible matches.

Peace Officer Paul Wlosinski remembers seeing the email from Stein.

“I always have in my mind, ‘never go through life saying you could have done something,’” Wlosinski says.

Wlosinski is an officer in the first platoon who over the years has worked directly with Schermerhorn on the force. Currently, he works overnight shifts, and Schermerhorn works days as part of new officer training and compliance certification programs. Wlosinski made an appointment to be evaluated as a match, and through the subsequent lab results and examinations learned that he could be a compatible and healthy kidney donor to Schermerhorn.

In the months that followed, two separate teams of physicians, transplant coordinators, social workers, and others from the Division of Solid Organ Transplant at the University of Rochester Medical Center—one team solely overseeing the care for Schermerhorn, and one caring only for Wlosinski—determined that everything was looking good to move forward with a transplant.

“I always have in my mind ‘never go through life saying you could have done something.’”

“For me, it’s a second chance,” says Schermerhorn. “We’re like a band of brothers working here, and there’s a responsibility for him to watch my back, and I watch his. You just build that relationship. That’s how I feel now—it’s like he’s my backup. There’s a lot of things in my life that he’s impacting by doing this, and I’m very grateful for it.”

“I’m just glad that I’m able to do something," says Wlosinski, who is also a US Army veteran. "I knew I had to get tested because I can. The donation of my kidney isn’t going to affect me in such great a fashion that I can’t. So, I can and I should.”

“Paul’s heart amazes me in its compassion and conviction, the things that drive him to do things such as donating a kidney,” says Laura Wlosinski, Paul’s wife and an emergency dispatcher for DPS. “When we first discussed Paul getting tested, it was in great depth about what that meant for him personally and for our family going forward. He has been committed from the start and knew that if he was a match he would go through with the donation. He said to me before the initial test, ‘I don’t want to know that I potentially could have helped Dan and never tried. I can’t live with that.’ I think that accurately speaks volumes to who he is and is a great example of the way he lives.”

On October 30, 2018, the Medical Center’s transplant team, led by Jeremy C. Taylor, associate director of transplant nephrology, and surgeons Mark S. Orloff and Koji Tomiyama successfully performed the transplant procedure.

“After 36 years in law enforcement, I am always amazed how willing brother and sister officers are to sacrifice for each other,” says Public Safety Chief Mark Fischer. “Paul’s actions have touched my entire department, and will forever impact the life of Dan and his family. It’s truly inspirational.”

Paul returned to work about a month after the surgery, Dan about six weeks later. More than a year after the transplant, both are doing well. While it was their work that bonded them initially, now they have a bigger reason for their friendship. It's a connection that is bound to last a lifetime, and for Dan, that's a much longer outlook than he ever imagined.