'Two good kidneys and one good uncle' equal match for RI business owner in need

PROVIDENCE – For Andrew Reinhardt, the decision to donate a kidney to their uncle was easy.

"It's pretty simple math for me," Reinhardt says. "I've got two good kidneys and one good uncle."

Reinhardt and their uncle Dave Henault are scheduled for surgery Sept. 19 at Massachusetts General Hospital .

Henault, the longtime owner of Ocean State Tackle in Providence, suffers from stage 5 polycystic kidney disease, the most severe stage at which the kidneys are close to failing or have stopped working. His kidney function is at about 11%. At 62 years old, he believes a new kidney can extend his life another 20 years.

Henault cast a wide net for transplant candidates and was participating in a program last fall that helped expand his potential pool of donor matches throughout the country , but the answer to his problem was nearby all along.

Reinhardt, 38, of New London, Connecticut, has been interested in helping for years, but Henault seemed elusive when Reinhardt asked about his illness.

"I said, 'What if you give me a kidney, and you end up needing it?' " Henault recalls, noting that he didn't discover his kidney illness until he was in his 40s.

Henault also thought that his sister Giselle, Reinhardt's mother, would be able to donate one of her kidneys. She tried, but the potential donors go through extensive testing, which concluded that she wasn't a good candidate.

Reinhardt says, "I think he finally realized it wasn't just lip service from me."

The operation is just part of the solution for transplant patients. Afterward, doctors must carefully monitor them, and the patients must take immunosuppressant drugs to ensure their bodies don't reject the transplants. The medication can come with unpleasant side effects.

'Cutting edge' program should help Henault's recovery

To address that, Reinhardt and Henault are taking part in a Massachusetts General Hospital program in which bone marrow will be taken from Reinhardt and given to Henault. That will hopefully reduce Henault's need for anti-rejection drugs.

"It's very cutting edge," Henault said.

The procedure is offered by Mass General's Legorreta Center for Clinical Transplant Tolerance , according to Brandon Chase, a hospital senior communications specialist. The hospital has been doing the procedure "infrequently" since 1999 but established the center this month after receiving "a generous donation," Chase said.

"The kidney donor (in this case, his nephew) simultaneously donates a kidney and some of his bone marrow to Dave," Chase said. "That allows Dave’s immune system to better recognize the donor kidney and over a period of time, if all goes well, Dave will be completely weaned off immunosuppressants."

Kidney donation is an 'act of altruism'

Dr. Kassem Safa, associate medical director for living donation in the kidney transplant program at Massachusetts General Hospital , calls donating a kidney "a complete act of altruism."

Reinhardt feels a close bond with Henault and is happy to help.

"He's my godfather. He's always been there," Reinhardt says. "He's someone I look up to for advice. He taught me valuable life lessons. For that I'm grateful."

Henault is divorced and has no children.

A chance to give 'the gift of life'

Reinhardt, who is divorced with two children, identifies as nonbinary. Donating a kidney and extending his uncle's life is perhaps as close as they can come to giving birth, they say.

"This is the only way I can truly give the gift of life," they say. "How magnificent is that?"

Reinhardt knows risks are involved but trusts the medical science.

"I'm in the prime of life," Reinhardt says. "I eat well. I don't drink."

Knowing Reinhardt passed a battery of medical tests has eased Henault's mind.

Henault will have a long recovery, but so will Reinhardt. Reinhardt expects to be away from their job with a pharmaceutical company for six to eight weeks. They say they've saved enough to absorb the loss of income.

"I'm so rich in love and friendship. I have so many people in my life who are willing to take care of me," Reinhart says. "I have more than I need."

Henault, who's often sought out for fishing advice, would take Reinhardt fishing as a child. Concerned about having a health problem out at sea, Henault has given up fishing with the progression of his illness.

Once they've both healed, Reinhardt says, maybe they can get together for another fishing trip.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 'Two good kidneys and one good uncle' equal match for RI business owner in need