Sep 30, 2009 5:18 pm US/Central
Kidney Recipient, Donor Have Generosity In Common
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Tom LeClair (left) donated his kidney to Jose Paramo (right).
CBS
A story about a man who donated his kidney to a total stranger touched hearts across Chicago and the country on Tuesday. CBS 2's Jim Williams reports with an interesting follow-up: it turns out the donor and recipient have a lot more in common than we thought.
A friend of the man who received the kidney sent CBS 2 an e-mail. He wrote that Jose Paramo, 25, is generous and kind in his own right.
Chicago's Tom LeClair, Paramo's donor, has always been generous; giving to and working for various charities over the years, but this tops the list. He donated a kidney to a stranger, simply because he knew someone, somewhere needed his help.
On Tuesday, Paramo and LeClair met for the first time.
"Thank you so much for everything. You have no idea how much this means to me and my family," Paramo said.
Paramo had been on dialysis three times a week for years. Now he can go back to school, travel and start a family.
Everyone was overwhelmed and in tears, including Paramo's fiancée and even the doctors at Loyola Medical Center.
"It means a whole second chance at life, just a whole new beginning, seeing things in a whole new perspective," Paramo said. "Everything is possible. There's people like him out there that are willing to help a perfect stranger."
Paramo's friend Michael DeCamp sent an e-mail to CBS 2 describing Paramo's character:
"When my father fought cancer a couple years ago, Jose was the one who helped to drive family members who could not drive on their own to visit my father, run errands for necessities and field any request needed to accommodate us during a very difficult time.
"There are many other examples of good deeds from Jose. I felt it was interesting to confirm with you that your story is an example of the best-of-things can happen to the best-of-people."
Dr. John Milner of Loyola Medical Center said 100,000 Americans are waiting for kidney transplants now. Milner said only once or twice a year will someone donate a kidney to a patient the donor does not know.
Click here for more information on how to become an organ donor.
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