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In This Issue:
Christine and Todd Monterio with their daughter, Clara.
After his wife donated one of her kidneys to him in 2008, life changed for Todd Monterio.
“In essence, it was a new birth for me,” he said, recounting how his recovery has been “a textbook case” since he first awoke from his transplant surgery at BWH.
Exactly three years later, on March 27, Monterio and his wife, Christine Monterio, found themselves on CWN10 celebrating a birth of a different sort as they welcomed their first child, a daughter named Clara Sophia.
Clara’s birth was a pivotal point in a long journey for her parents.
Diagnosed with type I diabetes as a teenager, Todd Monterio required insulin injections on a daily basis to monitor his disease. Fifteen years later, his doctors told him his kidneys were not functioning sufficiently and that he would probably require a transplant within the next five years.
“From that point on, I was very careful about my diet and monitoring my blood sugars,” Todd Monterio said. “Because of that, I was able to prolong the transplant for 10 years instead of five.”
In 2006, as his kidney function began to decline even further, the Monterios began to seriously consider the possibility that Todd would likely need a transplant soon.
“We determined that I was a match, but Todd refused to let me donate a kidney at first,” Christine Monterio said. “I wanted what was best for him, and he wanted what was best for me. After a year and a half of dialysis, he finally gave in and allowed me to donate.”
Stefan G. Tullius, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery, and Sayeed Malek, MD, clinical director of the Division of Transplant Surgery, led the transplant team during the Monterios’ operations, which happened shortly after they decided to go through with the transplant. It turned out to be a decision that no one would regret.
“The evening of my transplant, I managed to get out of bed and was able to walk over to my wife’s room,” Todd Monterio said. “It was a great culmination to the process. It reassured everyone, including myself, that this was a worthwhile sacrifice.”
Todd Monterio was in recovery for 10 days, during which he experienced no rejection issues. His kidney function has been “perfect” since the transplant, and as a result, it has been easier for him to manage his diabetes. And, the Monterios say, his health improvements also allowed them to consider starting a family.
“We were so focused on Todd’s health that having a child could never be the focus,” Christine Monterio said. “We never dreamed that we could have a child. It’s truly a miracle.”
The fact that Clara was born on March 27 is just another reason for the Monterios to celebrate.
“It’s amazing to reach each milestone—the first year mark, the second year mark—because it’s an indication of another successful year,” Todd Monterio said. “But we really couldn’t ask for a better blessing than the perfect little girl in front of us.”