Organ and tissue transplantation gives a future to thousands of Americans every year. But surgery is only the beginning.

The Ultimate Kindness:
The Story of the Ultimate Gift Fund

The Ultimate Gift Fund was created to commemorate the spirit of an extraordinary act of kindness, as embodied in Susan Dabkowski's decision to donate a kidney to a complete stranger—and to honor the chain of kindnesses that sustains us all in our journey through life.

By the summer of 2002, the Jensen family had grown desperate. Jim Jensen, newly retired from the Indiana University faculty after 31 years as an English professor, was about to be put on dialysis. His kidneys had failed him, and he awaited a transplant. His wife, Susan, sent hundreds of letters to friends around the world from their retirement home in Charlestown, Rhode Island—poignant letters, seeking an altruistic kidney donor who might be willing to share the gift of life with Jim.

Steve Watt, chair of the IU English department, received Susan Jensen's letter and e-mailed it to more than 7,000 colleagues and alumni.

Professor Joan Pong Linton sent the letter to the IU Alumni Association, where volunteers worked past midnight to get an article into the association's newsletter—reaching another 17,000 people.

IU alum David Horn, a reporter at the Bloomington Herald Times, received the newsletter and decided to write a story for the newspaper.

Bloomington resident Susan Dabkowski read David's article and made the decision to give one of her kidneys to a complete stranger.

Susan traveled to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, where surgeon Joseph Amaral, MD, removed one of her kidneys using leading-edge minimally invasive surgical techniques that reduce scarring and recovery time. Transplant surgeon Anthony Monaco, MD, then transplanted the organ into Jim Jensen—giving him a future of travel, grandchildren, and happy retirement with his wife and family.

Along with the profound connection forged from that moment of transcendent generosity, Susan Dabkowski and the Jensen family share a commitment to enhancing and extending the lives of transplant recipients through medical research. Through the Ultimate Gift Fund, they are working with Rhode Island Hospital—site of New England's most active kidney transplantation program—to establish a research facility dedicated to developing innovative approaches to immunosuppressive therapy.