Organ Donor Gives Gift of a Lifetime

This holiday season, a Carmi, Illinois woman is hoping to spread a message of giving that began for her half a world away, and half a century ago. Ingrid Ginther was a little girl growing up in post-World War II Germany when she visited her cousins on a family farm about 35 miles south of Munich. It was a trip that would change her life. While playing in a large barn, an older cousin hoisted her up to the hay loft, then asked for Ingrids help getting up herself. Ingrids six year old frame wasnt strong, or sturdy enough to hoist her older cousin up, and she ended up falling from her perch, and landing on her left elbow. The rural location prevented her from seeing a doctor, and by the time her mother brought her to an orthopedic surgeon in Munich, her fractured elbow had begun to heal. There was little that could be done, the doctor told her. As Ingrid aged, she developed worsening pain and problems in the arm shed injured at such a young age. It wasnt long before she was facing the debilitating effects of rheumatoid arthritis. She underwent several surgeries to have plates and prosthetic elbows put in. Late last year, a doctor told her there wasnt enough of the bone left to save, and amputation was the only real option. It was around that time that she met with Louisville orthopedic surgeon Dr. Amit Gupta. Gupta said there was another option: to take the bone from a human cadaver and implant it in her arm, fusing it to the remainder of her wrist. She agreed, and after nearly 8 hours of surgery, the bone donated by a complete stranger was connected inside her arm. There was no rejection, and one year after the surgery, physical therapy is helping Ingrid lead a much more complete life than shed ever imagined. Knowing the gift that an anonymous donor gave her, and the difference its made in her life, has encouraged Ingrid Ginther to encourage others to explore the lasting benefits of becoming an organ donor. Ingrid says at Christmas, its the best possible gift you can give.