MORE BLESSED TO GIVE . . .; A CO-WORKER'S ACT OFFERS KIDNEY PATIENT BETTER LIFE.

Byline: Heesun Wee Daily News Staff Writer

Arthur Dorsey Jr. draped his long arm across the shoulder of his petite co-worker Erlinda Price as they slowly walked through the hospital to give blood, again.

When the two San Fernando Valley residents first met five years ago, wading through health insurance claims at Blue Cross in Simi Valley, they never imagined that one day they would share more than a friendship. Now, within hours, they would share an organ.

At first glance, the two have little in common and seem like the most unlikely pair for organ donation.

Price, 53, of Palmdale is a grandmother who hails from the Philippines. A diabetic with deteriorating kidneys, she has endured dialysis three times a week for three years. The procedure, though life-saving, has made her short frame seem smaller, her forehead more wrinkled with worry and fatigue. Her arms have been poked with needles more than she cares to remember.

Dorsey, 37, of Woodland Hills will be a first-time father in June. Dorsey, whose family roots can be traced to the South, has been blessed with a lanky frame and good health. He nevertheless indulges in filtered Camel cigarettes.

Dorsey never considered organ donation. He doesn't even like to look when a needle pierces his arm, let alone undergo surgery for someone else. That is, until he met Price.

The subject never crossed his mind until he watched Price wear down with each dialysis, until he discreetly witnessed her ingest a fistful of pills daily. He never broached the topic until he learned her only hope for a better life was a new kidney, that her family members already had been ruled out as suitable donors, that the likely wait for an organ donor would be four years.

``Erlinda never asked me to do it,'' he said. ``I approached her.''

A week ago, the friends walked into the UCLA Medical Center, where surgeons removed Dorsey's left kidney and placed it in Price.

H. Albin Gritsch, one of the transplant physicians, said both surgeries were successful and that the patients were doing well. Dorsey returned home Saturday, Price on Sunday.

``I don't know if I can really express my gratitude for what he and she (Dorsey's wife, Belinda Dorsey) have done,'' Price said. ``They have given me a new hope and a new life.''

If all goes well, Price no longer will need dialysis. This week is crucial, the most likely period for infection or rejection.

The father-to-be's generous offer came at a time when dialysis pushed Price to the near-breaking point.

In July, Dorsey and another co-worker approached her at work and declared, ``We would like to donate our kidneys to you if we must,'' she recalled.

``I didn't believe them,'' Price said. ``I knew they were kidding.''

They weren't.

They had their blood checked and submitted paperwork required for organ donation to UCLA's Renal Transplant Program. In September, Dorsey's telephone rang. It was UCLA. Dorsey and Price were a match.

``Erlinda is Filipino and I'm African-American,'' Dorsey said. ``It was like something God had done. . . . I knew it was something bigger going on than me.''

Organ donation between unrelated individuals is rare, Gritsch said. ``This is a very special thing Arthur did. He's the hero in our eyes,'' he added.

Dorsey's family, however, didn't initially applaud his decision. His wife - now six months pregnant with a boy - was angry. ``What if one of us needs a kidney?'' she asked.

At the same time, Erlinda Price felt awkward about accepting Dorsey's rare gesture.

But the way Dorsey - who even gave up smoking prior to surgery - sees it, he couldn't deny a kidney to a friend who needed it because someone else might need it down the line.

With time and education about the low risks involved in kidney donation, the Dorsey family's shock and fear transformed into pride that Dorsey would give a piece of himself for a friend.

Charlie Price, Erlinda's husband and a self-described ``old army man,'' rose from a chair and wrapped his arms around Arthur Dorsey before the surgery.

``Thank you, Arthur,'' he said. ``I appreciate it, man.''

Even after recovery - four to eight weeks for Dorsey and two weeks for Price - he has no intentions of letting her out of his sight.

``I'm going to make sure you take good care of my kidney,'' said Dorsey to Price. ``You can't get away from me.''

How to help

When Arthur Dorsey Jr. of Woodland Hills offered his kidney to friend and co-worker Erlinda Price of Palmdale, the rare act of kindness couldn't have been more timely. March is Kidney Month.

End-stage kidney disease affects more than 13 million Americans. While the best treatment available is a transplant, the need for organs rapidly is outgrowing the number of available kidneys, said Dr. H. Albin Gritsch.

For information on kidney health, including how to sign up to become a kidney donor, contact the National Kidney Foundation at [phone], or contact the foundation's Southern California office at [phone]. The foundation's Web site can be reached at http://www.kidney.org.

``Hopefully other people will be able to consider donating in the future if they feel strongly attached to people they know are suffering with kidney failure,'' Gritsch said.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1) Left, Arthur Dorsey and Erlinda Price hold hands at the UCLA Medical Center. Right, Erlinda Price wipes away tears as she recounts how Dorsey pledged his kidney.

(2) Charlie Price hugs Arthur Dorsey in gratitude for Dorsey donating one of his kidneys to Price's wife, Erlinda.

Tom Mendoza/Daily News

Box: How to help (see text)