Zoom Reunion: Family of Kidney Recipient Celebrates "The Good Deed"

Son and widow of former kidney transplant patient from Kenya reunite with surgeon who saved father's life 39 years ago

It was 1983. Gerrard Murunge, an administrator of a Presbyterian hospital in Kenya, got the news no one wants to hear: He needed a kidney transplant, or he would die. At that time, there were no kidney transplant programs in Kenya, and there was only one kidney dialysis machine.

Faced with this sobering news, Gerrard, then 41, researched where he might receive a transplant. He discovered the Kidney Transplant Center in Grand Rapids, Mich. at Trinity Health Grand Rapids (formerly Saint Mary's Hospital).

He reached out to the Sisters of Mercy — a Catholic religious order of nuns and the administrators of Saint Mary’s Hospital — who together with Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids, were able to help arrange the operation for Gerrard and a place for four travelers to stay for four months.

Gerrard’s brother, Lloyd Mugo, was willing to be his living donor. Along with their wives, Assenath Murunge and Joyce Mugo, the brothers traveled to Grand Rapids in Jan. 1984.

Following the successful operation and recovery period, Gerrard and Assenath returned to Kenya and their three young children. Two years later, the Murunges gave birth to a son, Muriuki.

Zoom Reunion

Years later, Muriuki was looking through family photos. Curious about his father’s life-saving surgery in Michigan, he decided to reach out to the team of doctors involved in his care. On the 39th anniversary of Gerrard's transplant, a Zoom call was arranged for he and his mother to speak with Gerrard's nephrologist, Dr. William Bouman (retired).

“I wanted to say thank you to everyone and to Dr. Bouman. You may never know the impact you had with your good deed. I am the ‘end product’ because I was born after the transplant,” Muriuki shared on the call.

Gerrard's widow, Assenath, whose faith in God is the bedrock of her life, echoed her son's gratitude.

“We thank God that we are able to connect again. Dr. Bouman, you saved my husband. My entire family owes you our gratitude. You are a God-sent angel to us. My

son [Muriuki] came about because of you. I thank you all.”

Still touched by the experience of meeting these patients and their wives so long ago, Dr. Bouman shared his thoughts and questions about his patient’s life after the transplant.

“Thank you, so much. It is good to see you again and to meet your son. I remember your husband and his brother clearly. I remember your husband was rather quiet. His brother was rather jovial,” he shared. “What transpired when we said goodbye? What kind of a life did Gerrard have? Only once did we hear back that he was doing well,” he added.Assenath shared that her husband lived for 22 years after the transplant. He passed away in 2006 at the age of 63. “The kidney lasted that long. He was living an almost normal life. He had several years of good health.”

Gerrard’s brother, Lloyd, who donated his kidney, lives 10 kilometers from Assenath. “Lloyd is very healthy and is still alive with one kidney,” she added.

One concern the kidney transplant team had following the surgery was Gerrard’s ability to continue to receive the anti-rejection medicine in Kenya.

“At the time, we had to decide whether to give Gerrard the relatively newer medicine or the older medicine,” Dr. Bouman shared. “The newer medicine worked better, so we chose that, but we didn’t want to send Gerrard back to Kenya and have him lose the kidney.”

Assenath was grateful to the Transplant Team because they had sent Gerrard home with a six-month supply of the newer medicine. “After that, we changed to a cheaper medicine because of the cost. But we got support from the government.”

With the call about to end, Assenath responded to Dr. Bouman’s invitation to come to see him in Grand Rapids.

“We love you, and we welcome you. God brought you to us. You are our other family. You are like a brother to us. We would love for you to come to Kenya and stay with us. You made us all have hope again.”

Quietly listening during most of the call, Muriuki ended with these thoughts about his family’s journey and the 50th Anniversary of the Trinity Health Grand Rapids Kidney Transplant Center:

“Nearly 40 years later, I want people to have encouragement. These stories need to be remembered. I want to showcase the work of your hospital and to share how your good deed has impacted us. I want to celebrate your anniversary and say thank you to Dr. Bouman and the team who made my birth possible.”

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