In Review

In late January, a ceremony in the Department of Public Safety represented a remarkable moment in the lives of two longtime officers.

That’s when Lieutenant Dan Schermerhorn Jr. and Peace Officer Paul Wlosinski returned to work for the first time after an operation in which Wlosinski donated one of his kidneys to Schermerhorn.

The operation, which took place last fall at Strong Memorial Hospital, will allow Schermerhorn to return to activities—running, swimming, competing in triathlons, traveling, and spending quality time with his family—that were restricted by 15 years of kidney disease.

“There’s a lot of things in my life that he’s impacting by doing this, and I’m very grateful for it,” says Schermerhorn.

Says Wlosinski, “I always have in my mind, ‘never go through life saying you could have done something.’”

Schermerhorn’s search for a new kidney began in 2016, when he was placed on the kidney transplant waiting list, and he also joined the National Kidney Registry, a nonprofit network that aims to match thousands of individuals in need with a compatible, willing donor. Compatibility doesn’t come easily. His father tried to be a donor to his son, but after being evaluated for a match, found he was not compatible.

In October 2017, Lieutenant Keri Stein sent an email to the entire department, explaining Schermerhorn’s condition and the living donor process. Several colleagues responded by making appointments to be evaluated as possible matches.

Willing donors are first checked to see that their blood and tissue types are compatible with the recipient’s, and that the recipient’s antibodies won’t fight against the donated organ. From there, potential donors are evaluated for their health, the functioning of their kidneys, and their mental preparedness for the donation.

Last October, after Wlosinski was cleared as a match, the Medical Center’s transplant team, led by Jeremy Taylor, associate director of transplant nephrology, and surgeons Mark Orloff and Koji Tomiyama successfully performed the transplant.

Public Safety Chief Mark Fischer says the willingness of one officer to help another has rippled through the 140-person department.

“After 36 years in law enforcement, I am always amazed how willing brother and sister officers are to sacrifice for each other,” he says. “Paul’s actions have touched my entire department and will forever impact the life of Dan and his family.

“It’s truly inspirational.”