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Once Allen's kidneys stopped working, she experienced uremia-her body filled with extra water and waste products. Once a patient's renal function drops below 10 percent to 15 percent, he or she cannot live long without dialysis or a transplant.

However, people can live a normal life on one kidney and with less than 50 percent of their original renal function-as long as their renal function remains stable.

So far, so good

Although Benson was looking at four weeks of missed work-and at starting with light duty once she returned-she should be able to resume normal activities within six weeks. She said she planned to stay at the hospital only three days-the recommended stay is three to five days-and then "recover at the river, fishing."

Sure enough, she was discharged the evening after the surgery in April, and has visited her co-workers several times.

Allen was discharged from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences 15 days after the surgery. Although she said the first couple days after the surgery were "a little touchy" because her new kidney retained a little too much fluid, she felt good afterward and was happy with her progress. So far, her body has not rejected the kidney.

Allen also said she had more energy. She added that although she has a low tolerance for pain, she wasn't in much pain after the surgery and hardly ever needed to take pain medication.

For the first two weeks, Allen said she was scheduled to have her blood checked about three times a week because the doctors wanted to make sure her body didn't reject the donated kidney. She and her husband even stayed at an apartment near the hospital, because their El Dorado home is a two-hour drive from Little Rock. She said the blood tests would gradually taper off to about once every three months.

Allen's doctor said she should wait at least six months before returning to work, because her immune system would be diminished. She also was told to avoid driving for three weeks, doing housework and other normal home activities for six weeks, swimming for eight weeks and lifting more than 10 pounds for three months. She also was told to avoid crowds for three months-which is why she usually saw visitors one-on-one after the surgery.

However, her doctors wanted her to start exercising immediately and walk every day, rather than be stationary, to reduce the chance of blood clots.

Allen said she plans to walk a lot and continue to eat a healthy diet to further increase her chances of living longer.

One thing that helped Allen throughout her illness is strong family support, she said, which can keep a patient from slipping into a deep depression. As a nurse, she said, the hospital patients she's seen do the best are the ones who receive the most support from their families.

Allen's family seems to extend beyond her biological family; she said that her co-workers at the Medical Center of South Arkansas, who are like family members, organized a potluck for her and Benson the week before their surgery.

Surgical celebrities

The transplant has received statewide media attention. Allen and Benson did interviews with the Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency about the importance of donating to commemorate the agency's Tissue and Organ Donation Month-which, coincidentally, is April.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson also declared April as National Donate Life Month, during which he encouraged health care professionals, volunteers, educators, government agencies and private organizations to promote the nationwide need for organ and tissue donations, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.

As of May 14, 81,496 Americans were on the national waiting list for organ transplants, according to UNOS, but only 4,140 received transplants in January and February. Nearly 3,080 of the transplant patients received organs from cadavers, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

"I've been amazed at all the attention," Benson said. "I had no idea that we'd get as much attention as we have. If it'll encourage someone else or ease their mind that there's life after giving up a body part, then I think it's great."

Benson added that she hoped it would encourage other people to donate their organs, because "you can add a lot of life with just a simple thing."

Allen's husband, George, also is hoping for nationwide attention. He contacted "The Oprah Winfrey Show" about the transplant even before his wife and Benson began their series of tests, and is waiting to hear from the show's producers.

Allen and Benson have grown closer since the transplant, as well-Allen said she and Benson, who used to see each other only when their shifts overlapped, have been calling each other long-distance once a week to see how the other is doing.

"[Allen's] got grandchildren to look forward to, and things that I feel like she wouldn't have been able to do without this," Benson said. "And it touches me that I can give her that. It's an overwhelming feeling."

Contact Rebecca Ray at rebeccar@nurseweek.com