Ed Malloy recently celebrated his 48th birthday, mainly, he believes, because of the kindness of his friend, Keith Roach.
Roach, a Middletown resident and township public works employee, donated a kidney to Malloy in September.
“He saved my life. That is basically what he did,” said Malloy, a Delaware County attorney.
Prior to the transplant at Lankenau Hospital, Malloy said he had 7 percent kidney function and was scheduled to begin dialysis while waiting for his turn to receive a donated kidney from a person who had died.
Dialysis is “a big deal,” the Upper Chichester resident said. “You are hooked up to a machine three to four days a week for four to five hours at a time. Your quality of life is really compromised.”
He avoided the dialysis when Roach stepped up to donate a kidney. To thank him, Malloy nominated Roach for an American Red Cross Heroes award.
Roach, 52, received the organization’s Give Life Award May 2 at the America Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania’s Celebration Breakfast.
The Red Cross Hero said he really wasn’t apprehensive about making the lifesaving decision to help Malloy, who had served as a lifeguard with Roach’s wife, Elaine.
Roach recently recounted what went through his mind as he saw Malloy’s health declining prior to the transplant.
“I thought, ‘God has given me good health and taken care of me. Why am I waiting for someone else to step forward when I should step forward?’ “ Roach said. “I felt the Lord had put it upon my heart to donate a kidney to Ed.”
He admits the surgery was painful and “drained the life” out of him for a short time.
The kidney donor credits his supervisors in the Middletown public works department with supporting his desire to help his friend. He had saved up a lot of sick time over the last 16 years while working on numerous township projects, including Middletown’s recently completed veterans memorial off Veterans Highway.
“They allowed me to take the time off and advocated for me to do it,” Roach said.
And he’s thankful that he did.
“Now I feel fantastic. I feel great. I have no signs of the surgery at all,” Roach said recently. “I would do the same thing all over again if I could. I was fine. I had to rehabilitate and gain my strength back. But it’s OK. It was a small sacrifice.”
Malloy said he’s starting to get back to work part time. And, instead of being hooked up to a dialysis machine several times a week, he takes anti-rejection drugs so his immune system doesn’t attack the donated kidney.
“It’s a small price to pay,” Malloy said, adding that he is eternally grateful to Roach.
“There are really no words to express the gratitude I have for him,” Malloy said. “What he did for me was incredible.”
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