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Carver brothers make organ donation a family affair

Posted: Jul 27, 2012 11:24 AM
Updated: Jul 27, 2012 11:30 AM


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It's been nearly five years since Jeff Carver donated his kidney to Jason Costell. These days both men are doing great and it is a gift that keeps on giving. Now Jeff's brother, also named Jason, is preparing to donate his kidney. Jeff says he donated his kidney as a tribute to his Uncle Stan, who passed away waiting for a transplant. That is just one of the reasons behind Jason's decision to follow in his brother's footsteps.

News 4 Tucson first met Jeff Carver in January 2008 as he prepared to give Jason Costell one of his kidneys. Flash forward to 2012 and Jeff is feeling great.

"I mean I workout, I lead a normal life, it has no affect on my life whatsoever other than knowing that I helped someone out," Carver said. "It's not something people have to fear."

They are words of encouragement for Jeff's brother, Jason, who will donate his kidney to a long-time friend's husband August 21.

"When I found out I was a perfect match it was just elation," Jason said.

He knows the road to recovery will not be pain free, Jeff knows from experience.

"Any time you have somebody reaching in and pulling parts out, you're going to have repercussions," Jeff said.

"I'll be calling him," said Jason. "He probably won't be answering the phone at 2:00 in the morning."

It is a gift Jason feels called to give, inspired by a brotherly bond that continues to grow stronger.

"The reward far outweighs the risk," Jason said. "It's an overwhelming feeling to know that I'm helping to save someone's life."

Jeff says people always want to know what happens if something goes wrong with his remaining kidney. Should that happen, he points out that organ donors are automatically bumped to the top of the recipient list.

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