October 13, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Franklin Lakes Kidney request leads to gift of life for resident by Frank J. McMahon A decision by a Franklin Lakes man to donate one of his healthy kidneys to a complete stranger has become a gift of life to another borough resident. Franklin Lakes resident Alan Segal, 60, was in need of a kidney transplant and was waiting for a donor early this year when Villadom TIMES published a small notice indicating that he needed a kidney transplant and urging anyone with “O” positive blood who was in general good health to contact him. Michael Graham, 67, who has lived in Franklin Lakes since 1957, read the notice and called Segal and said, “This is Mike Graham and I live in Franklin Lakes and I happened to see your article. I’m “O” positive and in pretty good shape and I’ve got two kidneys and I want to give you one.” Segal had been waiting for a kidney donor for three years having had a transplant of both kidneys four years ago from a cadaver from Columbia University. Both of those kidneys failed within about six months. Before that, he was on dialysis three days a week for three hours a day, and was told he did not have three years to live. He said he had often received calls about the availability of kidneys, but they were often from people who were HIV positive, had a history of prostitution, or had died from an overdose of drugs. He said his doctor urged him to accept whatever kidneys became available if he wanted to stay alive. Segal advised his good friend Sara Losch of his condition. She was his son’s first nursery school teacher at Barnert Temple in Franklin Lakes, and she advised his rabbi, Elyse Frishman, who sent the notice to Villadom TIMES. Graham, who was 66 when he donated his kidney, read the notice while he was donating blood at the Ridgewood Blood New Healthcare Law: The Devil is in the Details! • 3.8% Transaction Tax on Home & Real Estate Sales! A home sale of $400,000 results in a TAX of $15,200. • .09% Medicare Tax Increases! Singles earning $ 200,000 plus and couples earning $250,000 plus to pay an additional .09% in Medicare taxes. • 2.9% Tax on Medical Devices! excepting items for personal use. • 40% Annual Tax on “Cadillac Plans! Beginning in 2018 an imposition of a 40% annual tax on plans valued at $10,300 for individuals and $27,500 for families. • 10% Tanning Tax! A 10% tax on services at Tanning Salons to be collected by salon owners and forwarded to the Federal Government. • 3.8% Tax on Investment Income! A 3.8% annual tax on investment income of individuals making $200,000 plus and families making $250,000 plus. Non-indexed, more families will fall into it each year, with seniors and those on fixed incomes hit particularly hard. Michael Graham and Alan Segal GREAT NEW TAXES! Center, something he said he often did in order to help other people. “I looked at that notice and I said to myself this guy lives less than a mile from me and I said, ‘Wow’ I’m going to call him up and talk to him.” At first, Segal did not believe Graham. “You sound like a very nice man, but what are you calling me about?” Segal had asked him. Graham kept saying, “I’m your man. I’m going to give you my kidney.” The next morning, the two men went to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital to start taking the tests necessary to determine if Graham was an appropriate match for the (continued on page 6) • Individuals Pay $695 Or Up To 2.5% of Annual Income! You will pay a yearly penalty of $695 or up to 2.5% of your annual income if you cannot show you have purchased a government-approved health policy. • Families Pay $347 per Child – Up To $2,250 per Family! if unable to show a government-approved policy was purchased. • Employers Pay $2000 Per Employee! Owners with more than 50 employees must buy government-acceptable health coverage or pay a yearly penalty of $2,000 per employee if at least one employee receives a tax credit. GREAT NEW PENALTIES FOR POLICIES THAT AREN’T GOVERNMENT APPROVED! Upset with the Democrat legislators who voted this in? Change the legislators! VOTE on Tuesday, November 2nd! Paid for by Teabox for Tea Party, P.O. Box 150, Midland Park, NJ 07432