Linda Schilly of Crystal City said she found her “earth angel” through a message her son posted on social media.
Schilly, 72, a Crystal City Board of Education member and wife of former Crystal City Mayor Tom Schilly, did not have to wait long to find a kidney donor after she learned she needed one.
Dara Riney, 43, who lives in the Jefferson R-7 area, quickly responded to the call, which eventually led to the transplant surgery that saved Schilly’s life. The two women got together March 14 at Schilly’s house for an interview.
“I guess it was August 2024 they told me I’d have to go on dialysis for end-stage renal failure,” Schilly said. “It had been probably a year since my kidneys started failing before I got to that point.
“I had kidney disease, kidney failure. I was on kidney dialysis for more than four months.”
She said physicians told her that finding a new kidney could be a daunting task.
“They put you on a hospital (donation) list,” she said. “You could wait for five years, sometimes longer. But, if you tell them you’ve got a donor, you can set your own date (for the transplant operation). If you find a donor, you pick the day.”
Schilly said those placed on the donor waiting list also must be ready to get to the hospital on short notice if a kidney becomes available.
“If they find you a donor (that matches to the recipient), you have to get to the hospital within 24 hours,” she added.
Her son, Thomas Schilly, took matters into his own hands on Aug. 19 by posting on social media that his mother needed a kidney donation. Riney volunteered to go through the tests to see if she was a good match to donate a kidney to Schilly.
“I only knew I needed a kidney for a day or two before Thomas’s posting,” she said.
Riney said the social media post caught her eye.
“I saw his posting and it didn’t take long to decide to do it,” she said. “Thomas is a very close friend of my brother-in-law.”
Riney said the thought of being an organ donor had crossed her mind before, but seeing the Schilly family’s situation spurred her to action.
“I’d seen people driving around with signs saying so-and-so needed a kidney,” she said. “I’d thought about it. I saw his posting, and it didn’t take long to decide. On Aug. 21, I texted Thomas.”
Riney said her husband, Aj Riney, got behind her decision.
“My husband was very supportive through the entire process,” she said.
Linda Schilly said she broke down when she heard Riney was willing to donate a kidney to her.
“I cried,” she said.
Linda and Dara in Linda’s hospital room at Barnes-Jewish Hospital after the transplant operation.
Both women underwent medical testing to see if Riney would be a good candidate for the kidney donation.
“You both have to go through the tests to see if you match,” Schilly said.
“They screen for all kinds of disease,” Riney added.
Even if the testing did not indicate a good match, Riney said she could have been a match for someone else.
“You could still donate to someone else, and they still keep looking for one for (the person you try to donate a kidney to),” she said.
Fortunately for Schilly, the tests came out in her favor. Dr. Jason Wellen performed the kidney transplant on Feb. 11 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
Schilly said she had suffered for months from extreme fatigue before receiving the new kidney, but she felt much better immediately after waking up from surgery.
“Right away after the operation, there wasn’t that horrible, horrible tired feeling,” she said.
Schilly said her transplant took place on a Tuesday and she was released from the hospital four days later.
She said she has a positive prognosis.
“My last dialysis was Feb. 10,” Schilly said. “The kidney function was normal right away after the operation.
“Things are going good. It’s a slow process. They take blood twice a week from me. There’s another six weeks more of recuperation.”
Schilly said she continues to feel better as time passes.
“The body is amazing,” she said.
Schilly said at least one aspect of the operation surprised her.
“They left the other two kidneys in,” Schilly said. “They put the new one in front of the other kidneys.”
She said she only has a few dietary restrictions.
“Afterward, you can’t eat pomegranate, grapefruit and starfruit,” she said.
Grapefruit and pomegranate can have negative interactions with anti-rejection medications and starfruit can negatively affect kidneys, according to several online medical resources.
Riney said she was released from the hospital the morning after the operation.
“After about two weeks, I felt pretty much back to almost normal,” she said.
Tom Schilly said it is hard for him to fully express his joy over his wife receiving the kidney.
“It was a blessing,” he said.
Both women said they hope their story inspires others to donate kidneys or other organs.
“That’s why we’re doing this (interview),” Linda Schilly said. “We want to encourage people to give.”
Riney agreed.
“I feel we’re all walking around with gifts,” she said. “We all have two kidneys and we could potentially give someone else life. While there are many considerations, overall it was a very easy process.”
Riney, who works in administration at K.A. Pazdera Hauling & Excavating south of Festus, said she took off work for three weeks to donate the kidney and recover from the surgery.
Schilly said Riney’s gift meant everything to her.
“I feel she gave me life,” she said. “That’s my earth angel.”
To register to receive a kidney, to donate a kidney or for more information, visit the National Kidney Registry website at kidneyregistry.com.