TRANSPLANT PUTS PHOTOGRAPHER BACK IN THE PICTURE.Byline: BETTIE RENCORET Senior columnist PALMDALE - Photographer Bob Lampson has a new lease on life since he received a kidney transplant kidney transplant or renal transplant Replacement of a diseased or damaged kidney with one from a living relative or a legally dead donor. The former's tissue type is more likely to match, reducing the chance of rejection; but removal puts the donor at risk, Sept. 12. ``It seemed strange that while the rest of the country and world were in a state of shock over the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of tragedy, I was having something positive happen to me,'' he said. ``But when I got the call from UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX that they had a kidney available and to get down there, we just took off and went.'' After his own kidneys failed in 1996 it was necessary for him to have hemodialysis treatments three days a week, first at the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Dialysis Center in Lancaster, then at its facility in Palmdale. ``I had to go through dialysis for five years,'' he said, ``and nobody who hasn't done that has a clue about the feelings you get from it. It's a lifesaving procedure and you're glad it's available to you, but it creates strange auras, depressions and mood swings that are kind of hard to deal with.'' So-called ``end stage renal failure'' patients are hooked up to a jukebox-size machine that does the blood cleansing job that the kidneys are no longer able to do. It requires the surgical implant of a circular graft or ``shunt'' attached to a vein and an artery. One tube siphons the blood out and runs it through a cleansing fluid. Then the other tube puts the purified blood back into the body. ``It's kind of hard for other people to understand,'' Lampson said. ``But maybe anyone who's donated blood can get an inkling when you say it's like giving blood continuously for three to four hours in one sitting - with the exception that what comes out goes back in.'' Lampson said that getting a transplant has made a lot of difference. He still feels the effects of the intricate surgery, a lack of energy and things like that, but he feels it will just be a matter of time before his vigor returns. ``My appetite's back. While I was on the machine I had to adhere to adhere to verb 1. follow, keep, maintain, respect, observe, be true, fulfil, obey, heed, keep to, abide by, be loyal, mind, be constant, be faithful 2. a strict diet. Now I can eat anything, and everything tastes good to me,'' he said. His advice to other dialysis patients is to keep their spirits up and never give up hope. ``Make every day as interesting as possible. Keep the lamp bright. Keep making jokes and keep happy thoughts. You never know when a kidney for you will show up. There's always a chance. My odds came in and that's good for me. It could happen to anybody. It's a lot better odds than the lottery,'' he said. Lampson plans to reopen his photography studio as soon as he gets his strength back. Lampson photographed actress Heather Locklear when she was a model, photographed the Bob Hope Desert Classic golf tournament in the 1970s, and photographed Clint Eastwood when he was filming at Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. . Most of his work has been for law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). , he said. While he was on dialysis so long, he said he got pretty claustrophobic when he had to stay inside so much, so he began to do volunteer work. ``I went down to the senior center and sold lunch tickets for awhile and then I got involved in other things,'' he said. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , he's an American Association of Retired Persons American Association of Retired Persons: see AARP. Tax Counseling for the Elderly tax aide. He works regularly with Jim Harris Jim Harris may refer to:
``Seniors should make an appointment ahead of time and bring all their forms and documentation with them. We work from there,'' he said. ``Of course, we don't have time to do anything really complicated even if we were authorized to.'' A San Jose native, he received his high school education in France Primary and secondary education is predominantly public (private schools also exist, in particular a strong nationwide network of primary and secondary Catholic education), while Higher education has both public and private elements. and Germany where his serviceman father was stationed between 1956 and 1960. He received his associate's degree in 1976 from the College of the Desert in Palm Desert. He served a tour of duty from 1962 to 1963 with the U.S. Air Force and spent 18 months in Kwajalein in the Pacific Ocean, taking photographs of missile tests. He served as a volunteer fireman for a while before he and a partner started their own news service. He married his wife of 36 years, the former Ruth Elbertson, on May 1, 1965, in Henderson, Nev., and they came to Antelope Valley in 1979. They have two children, Robert II, a builder of golf courses, and Ju Lee McMurray, who lives in Palmdale with her husband and two children. Lampson retired as a civilian worker from Computer Sciences Corp. at Edwards in July 1997 after 20 years. Menus for the week at the senior life nutrition sites in Lancaster, Palmdale and South Valley have been announced. All meals include bread, margarine and coffee, tea or milk for a suggested donation of $2. Monday: Beef tips, parsleyed noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. , broccoli, lettuce and tomato salad, peaches. Tuesday: Creole chicken or fish fillet fillet /fil·let/ (fil´et) 1. a loop, as of cord or tape, for making traction on the fetus. 2. in the nervous system, a long band of nerve fibers. fil·let n. 1. , rice pilaf, beets, garden salad, orange. Wednesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, Normandy vegetables, tossed salad, Jell-O with fruit. Thursday: Pinto beans with ham, cornbread, parsleyed carrots, creamy coleslaw cole·slaw also cole slaw n. A salad of finely shredded raw cabbage and sometimes shredded carrots, dressed with mayonnaise or a vinaigrette. , cheesecake. Friday: Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans, carrot, raisin and pineapple salad, ice cream. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Photographer Bob Lampson worked with actress Heather Locklear, a model at the time, at one point in his career. Bettie Rencoret/Special to the Daily News |
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