For local women Jeannine Bloss and Cindy Hertel, employees at Hays-based Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, Thanksgiving this year is more than a feast. The year delivered amazing blessings not only for them but for six other women.
Cindy and I taught together in Ellis for more than a decade. I recall her joking that she wouldn’t share her favorite snack, but she’d donate a kidney if you needed one. This spring, she got to do exactly that.
She switched careers after devoting more than two decades to teaching high school English, leaving education to serve eventually as Sunflower’s communications manager. Although she missed working with students, she loved the challenges of producing informative documents, brochures, reports, videos, and other materials with a team of fellow creatives.
As well as finding her job satisfying, Cindy repeatedly expressed how she valued working for a company built on the pillar of servant leadership. Four years ago, she received the opportunity to serve in a big way.
Fellow employee Jeannine Bloss shared via a company memo that she needed a kidney donation due to a deteriorating health condition. Cindy, whose father underwent dialysis before he passed away, didn’t hesitate to join several fellow employees in initiating the steps necessary to see if they could help Jeannine.
This began a series of medical evaluations that determined Cindy passed the tests to donate a kidney, but, unfortunately, she and Jeannine didn’t match for a direct donation. Despite that bump in the road, the two learned they could continue because KU Medical Center has a paired-kidney exchange program to deal with such contingencies. Cindy’s kidney would go to a matched candidate enabling to Jeannine to receive a compatible kidney from another donor.
Over many months, Cindy updated family and friends regarding progress toward the donation. In late March of this year, Cindy and Jeannine received confirmation that the kidney donation chain, the second largest chain KU Med has done, was in place. Four female donors would have a kidney transplanted to four female recipients.
Interestingly, Cindy’s donor surgery took place on Tuesday of Holy Week. Her daughter Seri kept loved ones in the loop, texting, “Doctor said everything went great. Kidney is being transplanted right now. We’ll see her once she wakes up and gets to her room.” Two days later, Holy Thursday evolved into a double blessing when doctors dismissed Cindy to recuperate at home.
Speaking of blessings, among the transplant team was former student Clay King. After he graduated from Ellis High School and then university, he attended medical school, eventually specializing in surgery. Now, he serves as a member of the KU transplant team, offering hope to those with failing kidneys.
When Cindy called to say, “Guess who’s on my transplant team?” her cheering section nearly raised the roof with shouts of thanksgiving. During a later visit, Cindy recounted how Clay cleverly distracted her pre-op nerves, bantering about the legendary Hertel Research Paper.
As Cindy healed in Ellis, her friend Jeannine and her donor underwent surgery the following week. Once everyone recovered, the eight ladies in the donation chain met at KU Med to celebrate with the medical team who made four miracles possible.
More than six months have passed since Holy Week in April. During that time four women have experienced functioning kidneys. As donors, recipients, loved ones, and medical team celebrate another Thanksgiving, they can count special blessings this year.
Interested in being a kidney donor? Visit https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/care/specialties/organ-transplant/become-an-organ-donor or call 913-588-1277.
A life depends on it.
Karen Madorin is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and sixth-generation Kansan.