Franklin man, 36, to donate kidney to Eastbrook friend

FRANKLIN – There’s little in life that means more to Lance Collins than family and friends.

So when the 36-year-old Franklin man learned that his best friend, John Dickens, 35, of Eastbrook, needed a kidney, he offered one of his.

Months of preparation and tests will end today when Collins gives the gift of life to Dickens, the owner of Hometown Fuel, during an operation at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

“I’d do anything for him,” Collins, a Guilford native and the father of Bailey, 2, and Brock, 13, said Sunday. “John would do the same thing, he’d give me the shirt off his back.”

It had appeared that the young man was headed for a lifetime of dialysis treatments or an early death. Born with diseased kidneys that progressively worsened over the years and then failed, Dickens feared he would never again be able to romp with his children, Katlynn, 10, and Kathryn, 8. For the past year, his life has centered on four-hour dialysis treatments, three days a week.

Collins, who once worked for Dickens and is now employed at Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound, was aware of his friend’s kidney problems. But until he learned that a mutual friend of the pair had tested favorably as a donor, he never realized that live transplants were conducted. That mutual friend had planned to donate a kidney to Dickens, but learned late in the process that he only had one kidney to begin with.

That’s when Collins stepped forward, with support from his wife, Paula. Collins knew his blood type was a match and later learned that everything else was compatible. But before he gave a final OK, he thought about his kids and the possibility that one day, they might need a transplant. He was told that the age difference would make it unlikely that he could become a donor to them. He then shifted his focus to his friend.

Initially, the transplant was scheduled in July, but that is a busy time in the lobster industry, so the operation was postponed to Jan. 7. In preparation, Collins worked longer hours over the summer and stashed the extra income for use by his family during his expected two weeks of recovery.

Because a laparoscopic procedure will be used to remove Collins’ kidney, he expects to be released from the hospital by Friday. The laparoscopic procedure is easier on donors, creates less pain and allows for a faster recovery, he was told.

Dickens, who has been taking anti-rejection medicine in preparation for the operation, will have a longer recovery period. He expects to remain in the hospital for up to 10 days followed by a lengthy recovery period. But he is happy to have a second chance at life.

“I feel so beholden,” Dickens said. “How do you thank someone for an organ?” he asked. “It gives me my life back; it gives me some freedom.”

Dickens’ wife, Brenda, also is very thankful for Collins. “It’s one of those things you don’t know what to say or how to show your appreciation,” she said. “He’s just a wonderful man.”

For Collins, the operation will be “a piece of cake.” That statement comes from a man who carries a steel plate that was planted in his head after he fell 42 feet from a burning building onto a concrete walkway while serving in the Army in Germany.

While it may be a piece of cake for Collins, he is giving his friend extra birthday candles.