Fri, Aug 08 2008
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Published May 15, 2008 11:18 pm - It will soon be Elizabeth Johnston’s 26th birthday, but it’s her father who will be getting the gift. Instead of party hats and cake, Johnston’s family will remember the date as a chance for new life, a fresh start and a second chance. Johnston will donate a kidney to her father, Richard Kusar, 53, in a birthday well worthy of the family album. Daughter gives a special gift Madison woman donates kidney to father By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com Star Beacon MADISON TOWNSHIP — It will soon be Elizabeth Johnston’s 26th birthday, but it’s her father who will be getting the gift.
Instead of party hats and cake, Johnston’s family will remember the date as a chance for new life, a fresh start and a second chance. Johnston will donate a kidney to her father, Richard Kusar, 53, in a birthday well worthy of the family album. “Just five days after the surgery, I will turn 26,” Johnston said. “I can’t say what an honor it is to be able to do this for my father. It makes my birthday a blessing for all of us.” Kusar’s kidney function has been declining for 15 years, Johnston said. Just last fall, doctors told the family to start looking for an organ donor. The family began looking inward, at Kusar’s five children. “We all got tested right away, and actually, myself and two of my brothers were a match,” Johnston said. “I was one of the best matches, and circumstance just made me the best candidate.” Johnston said her family, including brothers Rick, Bill, John and Dan, made the decision together. “We absolutely decided together that I was the best candidate for the surgery. It was never a question to get tested. We knew we had to do what we had to do,” she said. Johnston said her father always has been an active person with a sense of adventure. The father of five and grandfather of nine loves the Browns, the Indians, his motorcycle, boating, fishing and gardening, she said. “His dream is to go on an Alaskan cruise, and we aim to get him healthy enough to do that someday,” she said. The family also has vowed to go into surgery with positive attitudes and energy. “We don’t really look at this as a tragedy,” Johnston said. “We feel incredibly, absolutely blessed that this worked out the way it did. Some people don’t have a family to donate an organ, and they wait on lists for years, and here we are with three matches. It is almost too good to be true,” she said. Though it is a highly guarded secret from Kusar, the family will host a benefit for him from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at Duffy’s Tavern in Madison. Pizza, chicken wings, submarine sandwiches and desserts will be served for the $5 admission fee. Drinks are additional, but Duffy’s Tavern will donate a percentage of those profits to Kusar. “We are expecting a huge turnout with a ton of people. It will be our time to gather the positive energy of the people around us,” she said. 
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