Local Radio Personality Needs Your Help

He has one of the most recognizable voices in the Coastal Empire. Often using it over the airwaves to champion community causes- like last year's "radio-thon" to save the West Broad Street YMCA and a campaign to raise money for victims of Portwentworth's Sugar Refinery explosion. Now, Gary Young is fighting for a new cause... his own.

Kidney disease has forced him to step away from a career he's known for nearly 35 years. It's a decision that came about rather unexpectedly, after a routine check-up last year revealed startling results. He went in to see his physician for a physical. "I wanted to go to a new doctor in the network," Young recalls, "and he said, let me work up everything, see what's going on with you. He got the numbers back on my kidneys and he said, this isn't normal. It's a little high." Further tests revealed Gary had Chronic Kidney Disease or CKD. "That's when he sat me down and said, you're going to be looking for a donor."

Fortunately, he found one. His daughter. But before he can receive her kidney, Gary had to make some big lifestyle changes. "First, I had to stop smoking", Young says. "Then, my daughter had to stop smoking. Then, her system had to clear." In the meantime, he was immediately placed on temporary dialysis... 4 hours a day... 3 days a week... until his transplant on June 19th.

Gary admits, it's taken its toll, but says support from his wife has made all the difference in the world. "She's the person who takes me to dialysis 3 times a week; comes back and picks me up; cooks a unique meal now that I'm on a renal diet- no salt. She's keeping an eye on what I'm eating; my intake; what I'm doing to make sure that I'm healthy."

You can help in a number of ways. The family of Gary Young has organized the Gary Young Kidney Fund with the help of The Georgia Transplant Foundation, to provide after care cost, for his recovery-which is estimated to be between 20 to 30-thousand dollars a year. Online donations can be made at gatransplant.org/client/garyy or you can go to any Savannah area Carver State Bank and make a donation to the Gary Young Kidney Fund.

Now until July 31, Sisters of the New South Restaurant will donate 10% of your total bill to the Gary Young Kidney Fund.

Tonight, from 8 pm to midnight, there's also a benefit basketball game the St. Pius X Family Resource Center at 705 Anderson Street. General admission is $5. For more information, call (912) 323-2643.

Gary says before his diagnosis, he had no symptoms. That's why routine screenings are so important. This Saturday, The 100 Black Men of Savannah along with St. Joseph's/Candler will hold a multi-generational health fair from 10 am until 1 pm at the Georgia Infirmary at 1900 Abercorn Street. Free prostate, colorectal, blood sugar and blood pressure screenings will be available in addition to free access to health risk assessment and analysis.

Here are a few other facts and statistics concerning organ and tissue donation (source: National Kidney Foundation):

Almost 100,000 men, women and children currently need life-saving organ transplants in the United States.

Nearly 2,000 Georgians are on the waiting list for a transplant.

Every 12 minutes another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list.

An average of 18 people die each day from the lack of available organs for transplant.

90% of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% know the essential steps to take to be a donor.

The 100 Black Men of Savannah is hosting a Multi-Cultural Organ and Tissue Donation Session. The goal of the sessions is to answer questions and improve understanding of the organ and tissue donation process and it's importance.

Date: Saturday, June 20, 2009
Time: 9:30am - 1:00pm
Location: The Jepson Center for the Arts
207 W. York St

For more information, call (912) 819-8686. Email: oglesbyh@gmail.com