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Ray Vetuskey of Webster, New York, is celebrating what would have been his mother Betty’s 100th birthday and the kidney she donated to him in 1978, when he was 16. Nearly 48 years after the transplant at Strong Hospital, the kidney is still functioning, according to a report by WHEC and Vetuskey’s transplant doctor.
Ray Vetuskey of Webster, New York, is celebrating the 100th birthday of the kidney his mother, Betty, donated to him when he was 16. The transplant was performed at Strong Hospital in March 1978, and nearly 48 years later the kidney is still working, according to WHEC’s report and Dr. Miklos Molnar, director of transplant medical services at URochester Medicine.
Vetuskey developed serious health problems as a teenager. He told WHEC that doctors found his kidneys were not working and placed him on dialysis, but his kidney function did not recover. A transplant became his remaining option. His mother, Betty, then 52, offered to donate one of her kidneys.
The operation took place in March 1978. Vetuskey has kept a calendar from that month, with the transplant date circled, as well as a ticket stub from a Genesis concert he attended afterward. He recalled to WHEC that he and his mother were on gurneys, holding hands before surgery. Betty reassured him, he said, and joked that she had a concert to get to.
WHEC reported that Vetuskey visits Strong Hospital once a year for a check-up. He said he thinks about his mother every day and has had a star named after her in a national star registry. Betty has since died; the birthday being marked is the one she would have celebrated this year.
A Transplant Still Working Nearly 48 Years Later
Vetuskey’s case stands out because the donated kidney has continued to function for nearly five decades. Dr. Molnar told WHEC that this makes Vetuskey the longest-surviving kidney transplant recipient in Strong Hospital’s history, and said he believed the record might also be exceptional in his own experience. That description is attributed to the doctor and the hospital program, rather than a claim about all transplant recipients.
Molnar said a living-donor kidney typically lasts 15 to 20 years, making the reported duration far beyond that usual range. Individual outcomes vary, and the report does not provide clinical records or further detail about Vetuskey’s medical history. The story also gives a personal dimension to organ donation: a family member’s decision gave a teenager a chance to live beyond kidney failure.
The report connects the story to ongoing local need. It says about 500 people in the region are waiting for a kidney transplant, with hundreds more waiting for other organs. Those figures underline the continuing demand for donors, though the report does not specify when the waiting-list numbers were compiled.
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From Kidney Failure to a Family Donation
Vetuskey grew up in Seabreeze as the youngest of five children. In his account to WHEC, he described having a close bond with Betty and said she was well liked in the neighborhood. When his kidney problems did not improve with dialysis, her offer of a kidney led to the transplant in 1978.
Molnar described the donor-recipient relationship as significant both biologically and emotionally, noting that a mother and son share substantial DNA as well as a family bond. The report says 72% of people locally are registered organ donors. It does not provide the survey or registry basis for that percentage, so it should be read as a figure reported by WHEC rather than a broader measure of donor participation.
Nancy Ryan of the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network urged people to think about whether they would want to help someone like Vetuskey. The report says people older than 16 can register as donors, choose which organs or tissues they are willing to donate, and later change or withdraw their registration.
“Every day I think of her, doesn’t a day go by…She’s right by my side, all the time.”
— Ray Vetuskey, speaking to WHEC
Medical Details and Record Scope
The report does not include Vetuskey’s medical records, the kidney’s current clinical measurements or an independent review of the hospital’s historical transplant records. The claim that he is Strong Hospital’s longest-surviving kidney transplant recipient comes from Molnar and applies to the hospital’s program; the report does not establish a wider national or global record.
It is also unclear what specific evidence doctors use to estimate how long this kidney may continue functioning. Molnar told WHEC that doctors believe it could last for the rest of Vetuskey’s life, but that is an expectation, not a guarantee. The source does not give a precise date for the report or for Betty’s 100th birthday, beyond saying it is being marked this year.
Annual Check-Ups Continue
Vetuskey is expected to continue his annual check-ups at Strong Hospital, according to WHEC. No new procedure or change in treatment was announced in the report. His doctors’ view that the kidney could last for the rest of his life remains a prognosis rather than a confirmed future outcome.
The Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network continues to encourage people to consider registering as organ donors. According to the report, eligible people can select which organs and tissues they wish to donate and can alter or withdraw their registration later.
Key Questions
Who donated the kidney to Ray Vetuskey?
His mother, Betty Vetuskey, donated one of her kidneys when she was 52 and Ray was 16.
When did the transplant take place?
The transplant was performed in March 1978 at Strong Hospital in Rochester, New York.
How long has the transplanted kidney been working?
WHEC reported that it was still functioning nearly 48 years after the transplant. Vetuskey’s doctor said living-donor kidneys typically last 15 to 20 years, while noting this case’s unusually long duration.
Does Vetuskey hold a kidney transplant record?
Dr. Miklos Molnar said Vetuskey is the longest-surviving kidney transplant recipient in Strong Hospital’s history. The report does not claim that this is a national or worldwide record.
Can people change their organ donor registration?
The report says people can specify which organs or tissues they want to donate and can modify or withdraw their registration. It says people older than 16 can sign up.
Source: hn
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