Olentangy football coach becomes an organ donor and gives his colleague the gift of life
Maybe it was appropriate that Lisa Daragona learned life-saving news in the middle of Staff Appreciation Week at Olentangy High School .
In desperate need of her second kidney transplant, the school's athletic secretary had days where it was all she could do to get through her shift.
"By the time we got to May, I'd go home from work and just fall asleep," said Daragona, 55.
Several potential donors ended up unable to help, but one came through, and Daragona found that out the morning of May 8 when Olentangy football coach Wade Bartholomew strode into the office and informed Daragona that within a short time, she would receive one of his kidneys.
For Bartholomew, who is entering his fourth season at Olentangy , the decision was simple – once he and his wife, Diana, a secretary at the high school, talked it over during a nine-hour drive during spring break.
"I was never not going to do it," Bartholomew, 37, told The Dispatch during a joint interview with Daragona on July 10 at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center . "If we had to do this in the middle of August (just before the season starts), it was going to happen."
The transplant took place June 11 at Wexner Medical Center.
Bartholomew went home two days later and Daragona, who was in the hospital for a week after her first transplant in 2013, was out late the next day.
"It totally took me by surprise," Daragona said of Bartholomew's donation. "I was afraid to get my hopes up."
More: Blue Jackets staffer honored at NHL awards ceremony for kidney donation
For Wade Bartholomew, there was 'no hesitation'
Daragona was diagnosed with the rare kidney disease fibrillary glomerulonephritis while she was pregnant with her daughter Ella, now 17, leading to the first transplant. Fibrillary glomerulonephritis accounts for less than 1% of kidney disease diagnoses, according to multiple medical publications, and nearly half of its patients reach end-stage kidney disease in four years or less, according to the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.
Daragona's sister, Shelley Walton, donated a kidney in 2013.
Transplanted organs have a life span, however, as much as 25 years or as little as 10.
Despite regular follow-ups with her nephrologist and lab tests once or twice a year, by October 2022, Daragona knew something was wrong.
"The biggest thing is just the fatigue, being tired and not having any energy," she said. "You're not using the restroom as much. Those are big things that made me realize something was wrong."
Her kidney function deteriorated to the point that when Daragona was admitted for the transplant, it was operating at 9%.
"It was harder this time just seeing her struggle," Walton said. "I saw the other side of the whole procedure as far as everything she went through. Last time, I was in my room and she was in hers. It was hard to see her like that, but knowing she would get better … she had been tired and through so much."
Others noticed, including the Bartholomews.
"Watching Lisa's struggles the past year of being sick, just not feeling well, we knew a couple other people in the district were trying to help her and it just wasn't working out," Wade said.
He made up his mind during spring break and received further information from Daragona. Much of April was consumed by blood pressure and urine tests to ensure he was in optimum health and able to donate.
Bartholomew, a former quarterback at Westfall , Ohio Dominican and Capital, dismissed any notion of apprehension.
"For my wife and maybe my family, yes," he said. "For me, absolutely not. No hesitation. Once I started the process and I found out I could be (a donor), I just said let's get this thing done before football starts."
More: Not being able to walk won't stop 4-year-old from running Columbus 5K
Life after organ donation
Bartholomew's surgery began about 30 minutes before Daragona's, in order to remove his kidney and replace hers in the shortest possible time. Both surgeries lasted a few hours, said transplant surgeon Dr. Amer Rajab .
Bartholomew has a roughly 4-inch incision from his stomach line to his left side.
Daragona's is about 6 to 7 inches, closed with staples.
Rajab said their surgeries are among between 60 and 120 kidney transplants from living donors performed annually at Wexner Medical Center. Another 200 to 300 come from deceased donors.
"We just have to emphasize the need," Rajab said. "There are over 100,000 people (nationally) waiting for a kidney and the number goes up every minute."
Daragona and Bartholomew, both of whom have been cleared to return to work, now face another challenge – limiting their own activities.
Daragona cannot lift anything over 10 pounds for three months and faces an array of dietary restrictions. Bartholomew, whose team opens Aug. 23 against visiting Olentangy Liberty, has had to delegate responsibility to his assistant coaches.
"He likes to be hands-on and do it all," Diana said. "I had to push. I've also shown up to practice to make sure they know he's not to do anything."
The Braves went 11-2 last year .
Daragona admitted feeling guilty for dialing back her activities during postseason tournaments in the spring. She plans to check her email to gauge what is coming for fall sports.
"(I'm) doing really good," Daragona said. "Just anxious to get these staples out. Definitely feeling a lot better than I did."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy High School football coach becomes organ donor for colleague
