An Unforgettable Father's Day Gift

Every year sons agonize over the perfect gift for Father's Day. On June 11, 2010, only a few days before Father's Day, Thomas Pesa of Youngstown, Ohio gave his father a gift he will never forget.

Thomas, the father of two young boys himself, is an Emmy award-winning sound mixer. An average workday for him can include high-profile events such as the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl.

However, a day Thomas won't soon forget is when doctors informed his family that his father Felix was facing a long and difficult road of dialysis treatment if he did not receive a kidney transplant.

"Patients over 70 years old facing dialysis [have] about a 20% risk of mortality for every year they are on dialysis," according to Dr. David Goldfarb, surgical director for Cleveland Clinic's Renal Transplantation Program. "It’s always better to get a kidney transplant before you need dialysis."

The good news was that although Felix had a progressive kidney disease, at 74 years old he was still a strong candidate for a transplant.

"I've been battling kidney disease for a long time and it became obvious that I needed a transplant, and with my blood type it would have been years," Felix explained.

Although Felix did not ask, Tom and his four brothers immediately got tested to see if they were compatible matches to be a donor for their father. Tom and his brother David were both matches and in the end, Tom made the decision to go through with the process of donating his kidney.

Soon after, Tom began improving his health to make sure that he met the necessary qualifications to be a donor by taking long bike rides and eating healthier.

"This is the greatest Father’s Day gift I’ve ever received."

Tom and Felix's surgeries lasted roughly 6 hours. Dr. Goldfarb and his Cleveland Clinic team prepared the father and son for the recovery process after their surgeries.

Felix's health responded immediately to the new kidney and through medication the chance of his body rejecting the transplant was reduced dramatically. It didn't take long for Tom to get back to work mixing sound, as well.

Dr. Goldfarb performs over 150 kidney transplants each year. While roughly 6,000 kidney donations are made each year, he notes that the number of willing donors has decreased in the last few years.

Thomas knows that the decision to donate isn't easy, but for him and his family the choice was simple.

"Any son would look at his lifetime of growing up and everything your father does for you and you often ask yourself through life, 'How can I repay you?'" says Thomas.

In the end, fathers can only hope that when their sons grow up they will be strong individuals willing to make sacrifices for others. Felix is proud to know his sons are prime examples of these ideals, after all five were so willing to donate a kidney for him.

"This is the greatest Father’s Day gift I’ve ever received," says Felix.