The Gift of Life

VANCOUVER, Wash.—“What do you say to someone who basically gave me my life back?” Chris Siegfried says about his good friend Jaime O'Neal.

In 2006, Siegfried joined the California Army National Guard. He had left the Marines a few months prior, during which he had completed two tours in Iraq--one of which was in 2005 with the 1st Marine Division in Fallujah following the city's siege.

A native of Philadelphia, Siegfried decided to stay in California once he left the active-duty military but continued to feel the need to serve to his country.

“I missed service,” he said. “I also missed putting on the uniform.”

He quickly picked up a full-time position. It was then that he met Brian O’Neal. The two hit it off immediately, but their friendship didn’t deepen until eight years later when Siegfried transitioned back to life as a traditional guardsman. He ran into Brian again at the Army National Guard headquarters. This time, they not only reconnected, but kept in touch. Their circle of friends widened, including many former and current military members and their families.

“My support network is mostly Veterans,” Chris says.

It was during a get together at a mutual friend’s house that Siegfried’s significant other, Erin Pierce met Brian O’Neal’s wife, Jaime. The pair hit if off immediately, and from then on it was a series of events with the two couples; including Veterans’ Day holidays, Superbowls, Christmas parties, and other group events.

But by that time, Chris’ health issues took a turn for the worst.

“In 2010 my son was born,” Chris said. “It was then that I found out about my condition.”

He had been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a genetic condition where fluid-filled cysts grow on the kidneys, causing them to malfunction. Symptoms of the disease can include high blood pressure, back or side pain, and blood in the urine. The disease also can cause a feeling of fullness in the stomach area. Other symptoms can include headaches, kidney stones, and infections of the kidneys or urinary tract.

Up to 77% of patients with polycystic kidney disease can live with preserved kidney function up to age 50, and 52% up to age 73. Men tend to progress to advanced chronic kidney disease more rapidly and require kidney replacement therapy (KRT) at a younger age than do women. Most, if not all with the disease, require dialysis.

Facing these daunting odds, he and Erin decided to keep the findings and his condition to themselves.

“I was embarrassed to talk about it,” Chris admits. “I was afraid I’d get kicked out of the Guard, and I really liked being in the military. I loved putting on the uniform and helping people.”

It was during a birthday dinner for Brian O’Neal in 2022 that the four friends started talking about Chris’ condition. Brian and Jaime immediately jumped at the chance to help in any way they could.

“Brian and I immediately asked ‘what can we do?’” Jaime said.

In fact the entire group of mutual friends rallied around Chris, offering assistance of any kind.

As Chris’ condition worsened, he soon went on regular dialysis and medication. In late 2022, the word was out that Chris was actively seeking a kidney donor.

“I figured I’d never get a donor if we didn’t ask for it,” Chris said.

Erin was ruled out due to her being a primary caregiver for Chris. Brian was the next to be ruled out due to a blood type mismatch. Jaime remained on the donor list.

“I said I was going to keep going until they told me I couldn’t,” Jaime said about the donor vetting process.

As luck would have it, Jaime had already completed numerous tests and blood work as part of her pre-qualification for Tricare medical coverage. She had also checked in with her numerous medical providers to find out if she was a possible donor candidate. All of them came back with a clean bill of health.

“So when Deb Carolino asked for all my medical records, I was able to give her everything,” Jaime said.

Carolino, VA Portland’s Living Donor Nurse Coordinator, was with Jamie every step of the way—from blood tests to medical appointments.

“Deb answered all my questions, and was completely vested in everything,” Jaime said. “She is compassionate, and amazing!”

To go through the extensive battery of tests, the two California residents would be required to make the trek to Portland.

According to Elma Monaco, Transplant Nurse Manager, at VA Portland Health Care System, Portland receives transplant referrals for Veterans from all over the country. Those interested in the living donor program are not required to be Veterans themselves.

“Many of our living donors are not Veterans. However, the VA covers much of their work-up and expenses when someone elects to donate their kidney,” Monaco said.

Founded in 1987, the VA Portland Transplant Program is home to the first liver transplant in the Northwest and throughout the VA health care system. Its kidney and living kidney transplant program were introduced in 2001, and remains the only VA center in the Western United States to specialize in kidney transplants. The VA Portland Transplant team meets every week to review transplant recipient candidacy. Once a transplant recipient has been accepted into the program, living donors can contact the VA Portland Heath Care System to start their medical work up.

In August 2023, both Chris and Jaime met with the transplant team at the Portland VA. Then came the good news, by way of Erin.

“I found out that we were a match through Erin, who spoke to Jaime before I did,” Chris said. “I was excited and overwhelmed. I’m still speechless. I’m not sure there are words for the emotions I had.”

It seemed that Jaime’s drive toward selflessness might actually help her friend Chris. She said the good news was equally overwhelming for her.

“When I found out I was a match for Chris, I immediately called Erin, and we both just sobbed,” Jaime said. “It was, and still is so emotional because you know you’re changing someone’s life for the better.”

Born and raised in Southern California, Jaime O’Neal had a knack for helping people.

“From a young age, I was always involved in various church groups and school clubs and fell in love with helping and serving people,” Jaime said.

She had met her future husband Brian in 2018 during a chance meeting at a restaurant at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. Brian’s flight had been delayed nearly 17 hours, and he decided to get a meal and a couple of drinks. Jaime and her friend had decided last minute to grab a bite. She and Brian hit it off immediately.

Two months later, during another chance encounter, Jaime would meet Erin and Chris at the Memorial Day event. Erin said the series of chance events still baffle her. Fate had not only brought these friends together, she mused, but had also aligned everything so the gift of life could take place.

There was still paperwork to accomplish as well as last-minute tests. Then Chris got the news he had been waiting most of his adult life; the transplant surgery was scheduled for October 27, 2023. They would need to report to the Portland VA Hospital on October 18.

“Once we had the date, it was hard to think of anything else,” Chris said.

Meanwhile the dialysis continued.

“I’d rather take my chances back in Fallujah than be on dialysis,” Chris said about the regular treatments. “It was exhausting.”

Chris continued to suffer from the side effects of dialysis, including nausea, vomiting, and exhaustion. While Chris and Erin stayed at the Lodge at the VA Portland’s Vancouver campus, they made the daily trek to the Portland VA Hospital for dialysis treatment and pre-surgery appointments and testing.

October 26, 2023 is etched in Chris’ memory—it was the day he underwent his last dialysis treatment.

“I didn’t care about the pain or the nausea,” Chris said. “I knew I was going to get a new kidney.”

He noted that the entire team at the dialysis clinic on the 7th floor of the Portland VA Hospital was empathetic and compassionate.

“If you have to do dialysis, I highly recommend the Portland VA Hospital,” Chris said. “They were incredible.”

That night, the two couples would join Jaime’s mother who flew to Portland to be with her for the surgery. The group went to the Chart House in Portland for dinner; something Jaime referred to jokingly as the “Last Supper”. Chris, knowing he would be on post-surgery diet restrictions, ordered a medium-rare prime rib. The group spent the evening talking about their friendship, and the excitement for the next day’s surgery.

“We stayed in the same lodge in Vancouver,” Jaime said. “I was supposed to report to the Portland VA Hospital for surgery at 5:00 a.m. the following morning, so we said our goodbyes that night.”

The following day Chris woke up with apprehension. Knowing full well the inherent risks associated with major surgery. He said he experienced mixed emotions ranging from excitement to worry. The long wait in pre-op didn’t help. As if to add to his concern, staff informed him the surgery time would be delayed. They allowed Erin to join him in the pre-op area.

“That made things better, but also made things worse,” Chris said. “Seeing the worried look on her face made me more worried.”

Chris said a common misperception is that a kidney transplant operation is a cure to the disease. He cautions that the transplant is really a form of treatment. Indeed, many transplant recipients will spend the rest of their lives on anti-rejection medication and regular ongoing medical follow up appointments.

One person who helped lessen Chris’ worries was Dr. Alexandra Bolognese (boh-loh-nyeh-zeh), the transplant surgeon who performed Chris’ operation at the VA Portland Hospital.

“Dr. Fancy Shoes,” Chris said with a laugh. The nickname he and Jaime coined for her was a reference to the bright red heels they saw her wearing as they passed her on the OHSU skybridge the day prior.

“I don’t always get to meet the donor when I am doing the recipient surgery, but I did meet Jaime the day before her surgery,” Dr. Bolognese said.

She added that there are no medical benefits for the living donor. In fact, they are putting themselves at risk—ranging from surgery complications to infection, to possible medical issues as a result of the surgery. But, she said, they do so in order to improve the life of the person who receives their organ—which is why she feels honored to work with anyone who steps forward as a living organ donor.

“I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this,” Dr. Bolognese said. “I am honored to have played a part in making this happen for them both,” she added.

Bolognese said there are more than 100,000 candidates waiting for an organ donation. Some are waiting for a “combined transplant”, such as a kidney and pancreas, but kidneys are by far the most needed organ for transplant—with nearly 90,000 candidates around the country waiting for a kidney donation. In 2023, there was just over 27,000 kidney transplants performed, 6,290 of them from living donors.

While Chris was being prepped in the operating room, Dr. Bolognese asked him if he wanted to see the new kidney, which had just been removed from Jaime O’Neal by Dr. Bolognese’s OHSU colleague, Dr. Christopher Connelly.

Chris answered with “Hell yes!” He recalled it looked like a piece of raw chicken thigh. He even asked for a picture of his new kidney.

Asked to count backwards from 100, Chris remembered making it to 97. He then woke up in the Intensive Care Unit on the third floor of the Portland VA hospital. He would not see Jaime until two days later, even though his buddy Brian was able to visit him and reported back to Jaime what he saw.

“Brian told me the color had returned to Chris’ face. It was like he was a new man,” Jaime said.

Indeed, the reunion was emotional for both Jaime and Chris.

“When I saw Jaime on the 29th, it was overwhelming,” Chris recalls. “I said thank you to her, but I didn’t feel like that was enough. I mean, what do you say to someone who basically gave me my life back?”

Since the surgery, Chris said his quality of life has vastly improved. His diet is less restrictive and best of all—no dialysis. He admits to feeling uncomfortable but blames that on the healing process.

One peculiar side effect is the food craving.

“Chris never liked burgers before the surgery,” Jaime said. “I love hamburgers. After the surgery, Chris had a craving for Five Guys burgers.”

And then there’s the jokes.

“We’re now called the ‘Kidney Twins’,” Jaime said.

Brian warned Chris about Jaime’s other cravings, which have, as of this writing, not come to pass—including high heel shoes and shopping for clothes.

For Jaime, the experience has been life-changing, not just for herself but for her entire family and their circle of friends.

“You don’t realize that sometimes the little things you do, like losing weight or eating healthy, impacts others and changes other people for the better,” Jaime says.

Apparently, the changes their entire group experienced now has them focused on each other, and the depth of their friendships and relationships. She said the entire experience didn’t just impact Chris—it had a positive cascade for everyone around him, including her.

“We went from sitting around the fire pit with beers or drinks in our hands to wanting to get out and play mini-golf or go bowling,” Jaime said. “There’s a realness when you weed through all the social bull. Then you can have real conversations with people. This has brought us much closer as friends and deepened our relationships.”

In 2020, Jaime had been awarded a Master’s in Business Management, and is now pursuing a PhD in Business with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership. She currently works as a project manager for a California-based telecommunications construction company and is a proud parent of three adult children and a stepmother to two teenagers.

Looking forward, Chris Siegfried wants to pay this favor forward.

“I want to be able to help others,” Chris said. “Maybe Veterans, but I’ll help anyone who needs it.”

What’s significant is Chris’ new lease on life. Chris has been studying Italian and plans to go back to school to use his GI Bill educational benefits.

“I don’t have a real definitive plan,” Chris says. “But I do have a passport, which I got a few years ago, and I plan to use it.”

But most of all, he has a message for other Veterans.

“I want other Veterans to know it’s okay to ask for help,” Chris says. “Regardless of a mental health issue, or a medical problem, it’s okay to ask someone for help.”

And while Chris still struggles to capture his gratitude toward Jaime, he added this thought:

“It’s amazing that Jaime and I are now connected forever,” he said. “She gave me the gift of the rest of my life. Someone who would do that for someone else is a real hero in my book.”

April has been designated as National Donate Life Month. Activities and events throughout the month help encourage and educate Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors, and to honor those who have saved countless lives with their selfless gift of donation.

According to the Donate Life website, the need for organ, eye and tissue donors across the country is ongoing and critical to patient care and quality of life.

If you would like to become a donor, or would like to find out more about the National Donor program, visit https://donatelife.net/how-you-can-help/national-observances-celebrations/.

You can also find out more about the VA’s National Transplant Program by visiting https://www.va.gov/health/services/transplant/.

You can also visit the VA Portland Health Care System on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/vaportland/

#DonateLife #DonateLifeMonth #VAPortland #VA