February 10, 2006

Evergreen SchoolScene

Teacher donates kidney to mother

Selfless gesture from local hero

By Carol Rosen
Staff Writer

Annabelle Warner is a hero.

The seventh grade science teacher at Leyva Middle School agreed last summer to donate one of her kidneys to her mom, who has suffered from degenerating kidney disease for more than 20 years. It will be her mother’s second transplant. It’s currently scheduled for Feb. 15, the day after Valentine’s Day.

Leyva Middle School seventh grade science teacher Annabelle Warner relaxes in the sun just before she donates one of her kidneys to her mom. Photo by Carol Rosen

In the early 1980s, Warner’s mom, Ursula Valdez, a very active woman, grew lethargic and started sleeping a lot. When she wasn’t sleeping she couldn’t keep up with her work. Her doctor did some tests but said he couldn’t find anything wrong. Finally, she went to a new doctor who immediately put her in the hospital and on dialysis.

In 1985, she had her first transplant. A gift from a person killed in a motorcycle accident, it has lasted for 20 years, much longer than the typical kidney transplant lifespan of 11 years. In fact, the transplanted kidney first appeared to be failing in December 2004. At that point, Warner and her three brothers began assessing who would be the best donor since it typically takes five years to find a donor outside the family.

“We didn’t think mom had that much time. So my brothers, my husband and I discussed who should donate. We made lists, and I was at the top of each list, so here I am,” Warner said.

“It’s one of those things you just do, I didn’t really think about it. I only needed one kidney and my mom was getting weaker. My mom gave birth to me and took care of me. It’s for my mom,” she added.

The process to get there appeared to be quite long, though. Warner said once the decision had been made, the doctors and a social worker started and kept on asking questions. “They kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to donate the kidney. They asked, ‘What if she rejects it,’ and ‘what if later on I need a transplant?’”

Following the questions, both she and her mom had to go through a huge battery of tests. The final test was “to make sure I had two kidneys. Some people don’t, they only have one.”

The hospital initially set the date of Aug. 17 for the operation. Then last summer, Warner’s mom began improving and the operation was delayed. Instead, Warner says, her father appeared to be sick. She took him to the hospital that same day with a fever and chest pains. It turns out he had leukemia.

“He couldn’t fight it. He passed away on Sept. 13. They had been married 49 years,” said Warner

His hospitalization and subsequent death seemed to bring everything full circle, Warner said. Just a year before, she was seeking to lose weight. “I needed a serious incentive to lose weight. So I started working out with a group from the leukemia and lymphoma society. On Sept. 11, 2004, I did a triathlon for them and raised a lot of money. So it seems everything goes full circle. Everything has a plan.”

Warner noted that until recently she had problems sleeping. “Once we had decided to do the transplant, I went to the Internet to get more information. I read everything I could find and all of that really scared me so I had to stop becoming informed.

“Today, a kidney transplant is practically a common operation. They’ve made so many new developments in the past 20 years that it’s become almost commonplace,” she said.

There’s an additional bright spot, Warner added. The extensive testing she’s undergone has proven that she is quite healthy. “I came into this kind of naively. I didn’t realize that I might not be healthy. But they’ve given me all the tests and I’m healthy, I don’t have cancer or any other dreaded diseases.”

Right now, she is taking extra good care of herself. Staying away from sick people, exercising, eating well and “taking lots of Airborne to make sure I stay healthy.”

Warner and her mom will spend Valentine’s Day at California Pacific Medical Center doing tests and go home “for a good night’s sleep.” Both are expected back at the hospital bright and early on Feb. 15 for the operation.

“Within a day, my mom will improve. Currently, her kidney function is at 20 percent, once my kidney starts working inside her, she will improve substantially,” Warner said. Doctors will leave the old transplanted kidney inside her mom, that way if the body decides to reject, it typically goes after the older kidney,” Warner said.

On the other side, it may seem harder for Warner to recover. Both she and her mom will have a recovery period of about four to six weeks, but “I will have a harder time recuperating because my body has to get used to just one kidney,” she said.
But she’s ready for that. It’s almost like a vacation, said the 43-year old mother of two. Her 18-year old son Shawn is a freshman at Evergreen Valley College and her 15-year old daughter Rachel is a sophomore at Piedmont Hills High, the same school Warner graduated from. The teacher has been amassing books to keep herself busy. She also plans to start getting exercise as soon as possible.

Once out of the hospital, Warner and her mom won’t be too far apart either. “We live in the Berryessa area, the same area I grew up in. We bought a house close to my parents so my mom could help out with the kids. Now, we’re close enough to help her.”

One of the more important things helping Warner through the experience is her faith. “I’m a Christian,” she said. “I attend Spring Valley Bible Church in Milpitas. Everything is in God’s hands, and that makes the whole thing a very positive experience.”

Turning e-waste into dollars

Evergreen Elementary School hosts electronic waste
collection event, bringing in more than $2,400

By Diego Abeloos
Editor

Evergreen Elementary School managed to help turn unwanted electronics waste into much-needed dollars.

On Jan. 27 and 28, the school, in coordination with Asset Services & Liquidators (ASL), a state authorized San Jose-based recycling company, held an electronic waste collection event at the campus parking lot, hauling in nearly 31,000 pounds of outdated and unwanted electronic waste such as old computers, telephones, printers, televisions and a plethora of other items.

In turn, Evergreen Elementary got a much-needed check from ASL totaling more than $2,400.

Collection events held by local schools and ASL, such as this one in Campbell earlier this year, have seen parents and friends chip in by donating old electronic equipment for recycling. An E-Waste collection event at Evergreen Elementary School on Jan. 27 and 28 saw nearly 31,000 pounds of waste collected for a total of $2,400 for the school.

“Everyone has equipment that they can’t get rid of, that curbside pickup won’t take,” said Evergreen Elementary School Principal Kathy Shepard, who added that several of the school’s teachers collected electronic waste from friends and family for the event as well. “…This is a great way to get rid of it.”

Shepard, who first discovered ASL’s Cash for Trash E-Waste Collection program through a school parent, said word spread of the event through not only the students at her school, but at neighboring schools as well. Together, the students, as well as school parents, distributed flyers throughout neighborhoods and businesses to get the news out.

The result – 360 cars throughout the two days filled with old electronic equipment. The collection also saw several contributions from local businesses. Heather Thordarson, Marketing Director and event coordinator for ASL, said the haul of nearly 31,000 pounds was the second-most ever collected since the company began the program in November.

The program, which offers a varying amount paid out per pound of waste, allows schools and other organizations a creative way to increase funds, said Thordarson. In addition, ASL collects the old electronic equipment and recycles various lead, plastic and other materials from the waste into reusable parts for new products.

“It was a collaborative effort where everyone recognized the community’s need to have accessible and convenient areas to get rid of their waste,” said Thordarson. “Knowing that it will go to a good cause, it encourages people to clean out their garages and for corporations to clean out their back rooms.”

Throughout the event, Evergreen Elementary School received 15 cents per pound for computer monitors, 5 cents per pound for CPU’s and 2 cents per pound for any other electronic waste collected. The total sum of more than $2,400 will go partly toward a new copying machine at the school, said Shepard.

“We’re really working with limited resources and we know every penny counts,” she said. “It’s a win-win situation … and it was a good funding resource for us.”

Although the event has passed, bringing e-waste to ASL will still pay off for Evergreen Elementary School. Thordarson said anyone can simply bring their old electronic equipment to ASL, and if that person mentions Evergreen Elementary School, a portion of the collection funds will go toward the school.

Shepard added that several parents have since approached her about holding the event again in the near future.

“We’re considering doing it again in the spring, just on a Saturday afternoon or something,” she said.

ASL is located at 524 Brennan St., San Jose, 95131. For more information about Cash for Trash E-Waste Collection events, call (408) 468-0230 or log on to www.aslsemi.com.