The stories published today (March 4) about Mike and Denise Bushnell are just a beginning. In weeks to come, The News-Herald will follow up with stories about their surgeries at Cleveland Clinic. Mike will receive a kidney donated by Denise. We'll also tell you about their recoveries from those procedures.
     As you've probably surmised from today's stories, Mike and Denise are salt-of-the-earth people who derive great strength from family and faith. It's been my pleasure to visit their home and spend time with them.
     I've also savored the chance to meet Cleveland Clinic surgeons Dr. Jihad Kaouk and Dr. Stuart Flechner, who will perform the transplant and donor procedures.
     Kidney transplant surgeries are routine only in the sense that thousands of them are performed every year in the U.S. at major medical centers like Cleveland Clinic. Thanks to advances in surgical techniques and post-surgical regimens for recipients, success rates are exceedingly high.
     From speaking to the Drs. Kaouk and Flechner, I've gained some level of appreciation for the complexities of donor and recipient surgeries. These procedures are intricately choreographed, with surgical teams in two different theaters working on precise timetables.
     Mike and Denise Bushnell have been married for 41 years and sweethearts since high school. These surgeries offer them the promise of many more years to enjoy each other and their family.
     David S. Glasier