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OSF Transplant Milestone

By Jen Christensen
January 25, 2011 Updated Jan 25, 2011 at 10:54 PM CDT

OSF Saint Francis Medical Center is celebrating its 1000th organ transplant. A Peoria Mother successfully donated a kidney to her 13 year old son this December.

Max suffered from kidney failure last suffer. Both of his diseased kidneys had to be removed when he received his mom's kidney.

Dr. Beverely Ketel said, "So it was a bigger than usual transplant operation, but form the very beginning he did very well."

Kidney donor Jean Rutschke said, "People talk about me giving-about it being a sacrifice-but when it is your own child, it is not even a thought. You would do it in a heartbeat."

And kidney recipient Max Rutschke said, "It was nice, wonderful and awkward. Does she tell you to take care of her kidney? Yes, actually she does.(laughs.)"

In 1985, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center was the first downstate Illinois medical center to offer kidney transplants.

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