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Cover Story: Lifetimes, Issue 1 - 2001

Life is full of highs and lows. But for 39-year-old Robin Myers, the lows have been as deep as a canyon and her descent a fast fall. Always in top physical condition, Robin enjoyed a good life with her husband and daughter in Connecticut until January of 1989. That's when she woke up one day feeling under the weather, thinking she had a common virus. Actually, she had a rare antibody disorder called Goodpastures Syndrome. Within one year Robin lost her job, her house, her health and her husband left her. That was a low, low point, she remembers.

Before descending to that rock-bottom point of her life, things were pretty even keeled for Robin. As 1989 began, she was a sergeant in the Army and contentedly married to her husband of nine years, whom she'd met when she was stationed in Germany. They had a beautiful daughter, Erin, who was two years old. Robin, who describes herself as "very active" at that time, was even captain of her local softball team.

Then came the morning that Robin noticed her fingers were swollen. She was fatigued and felt sick, but had no idea what could be wrong. The problems didn't go away, and about three months later she was diagnosed with Goodpastures Syndrome. In this rare condition, the body produces abnormal antibodies, which cause damage to the lungs and kidneys. In Robin's case, it caused enough damage to result in kidney failure.

With her condition progressing quickly, Robin went on medical leave. She was on dialysis, getting weaker by the day, and losing so much weight she says she "looked like a skeleton." Her relationship with her husband became increasingly difficult because he had a hard time accepting Robin's illness. Saying he couldn't watch her go downhill anymore, he left Robin and their daughter. So Robin had no husband, no job to support her daughter and herself, no insurance, no home (since the one she'd been living in was her husband's family home) and no way to take care of little Erin. She took Erin and moved to Reading, Pennsylvania to be with her mother for help and support.

This next phase of Robin's life wasn't much better. Her health deteriorating even further, she developed painful calcium deposits in her body, including her joints and her heart. She walked with a cane, and had to crawl up and down steps on her hands and knees to get to her second-floor bedroom at her mother's house. That's when the doctors told Robin's mother, Ede Phillips, that Robin would probably survive less than 18 months.

Transplant offered the only hope. Robin was put on the transplant list while family members were tested to find a donor kidney. Her father in Seattle, Washington was a good match, so they moved forward with arrangements for him to donate.

Ede remembers the day that Robin boarded the plane for Seattle to get her transplant. "She was so sick she could barely stand up. I knew she was close to death - and I didn't know if I would see her again." But Ede also knew that her daughter had "stickability." Ede explains: "Giving up is just not in Robin's personal vocabulary. And that attitude really helps."

The surgery was successful, but Robin rejected the transplanted kidney in 12 days. Robin says, "The gift my father gave me was selfless and wonderful. The fact that my body rejected the kidney doesn't take away from the generosity of that gift."

So Robin returned to Pennsylvania sicker than ever and got back on the transplant waiting list at Hershey Medical Center. "I was feeling pretty bad about how things were going. The only bright spot in my life was my daughter, who was always there to make sure I got out of bed each morning. She was my reminder of my future and my reason to fight. I knew I had to keep going for Erin." Robin also enrolled in college to get her mind off her troubles, taking courses related to veterinary medicine, which had always been of interest to her.

Robin's nephrologist, Dr. Paul Mitnick of Reading Nephrology Limited, calls Robin "extraordinarily sick" at this time. "She was disabled. She had an unusual amount of calcium-like material, called tumoral calcinosis, pushing on her nerves and body parts. She had giant lumps on her, was in severe pain, and needed many procedures." But Robin persevered, holding onto hope.

Her life turned around on December 27, 1992. That's when Robin got the call that a possible donor kidney was available at Hershey Medical Center. Under the direction of Dr. Harold Yang, Robin received and recovered from her transplant. This time there was no rejection, not even in a mild form.

Robin wrote a letter of thanks to her donor family. "Not a day goes by when I don't thank that person," she says. "I don't know who my donor was, but in a way, that's a blessing. Now every donor family I meet is my donor family."

When Robin had first started attending college, her counselor advised her not to take the veterinary courses she was interested in because they were too hard and it would take too long to get her degree; instead, he suggested she take secretarial courses. Robin was devastated, but then followed her heart anyway -- and it paid off in a big way. When she graduated one kidney transplant and five years later, she did it with honors. She was also named one of the top ten continuing education students in the state of Pennsylvania.

She finished her veterinary internship, again with honors, and worked at a veterinary practice for over a year. She loved the work, but was concerned about the risk of infection associated with treating sick animals, particularly in light of her weakened immune system due to immunosuppressant medications. When a technical service position with Pfizer Animal Health Pharmaceuticals became available, Robin leaped at the opportunity. She got the job, which is where Robin is today. She advises veterinarians on the medications, counsels on adverse reactions, works with the FDA and uses her veterinarian expertise in a number of other ways.

"I love my job," she explains. "I feel good about what I do. And my insurance is a real plus. The year that I worked in the veterinary practice, my insurance mandated that I change pharmacies. I couldn't use Stadtlanders anymore, even though the pharmacy had provided me with support, advice and medications right on my doorstep from day one. Now I'm back with Stadtlanders (now called PharmaCare Pharmacy) and I'm so pleased."

Robin is glad that with PharmaCare she doesn't have to worry about running out of her meds. "I take my medication faithfully," says Robin. "Some people have asked me how I can stand to take all those pills. But it's not hard -- and it's not an inconvenience. It's such a small, small price to pay to feel this good."

Since 1994, Robin has competed in all of the U.S. Transplant Games, as well as the World Games in Budapest in 1999. She has brought home the gold in badminton numerous times and, after campaigning to get volleyball added to the line up, won the gold medal in volleyball, too. She exercises regularly all year round, with her favorite sport being league volleyball.

And Erin, Robin's inspiration to fight during her lowest periods, is now a 5'10" thirteen year old. Erin remembers when Robin was sick and appreciates her mother's good health today. "We do a lot of things together," Erin says. "I love to shop with my mom. She has really good taste and knows what I like. She knows everything about me. We go to my grandmother's farm a lot, too. We ride horses, hang around together."

Romance has returned to Robin's life these days, too. Janet, a donor mother who has spoken at events with Robin many times over the years, convinced Robin to meet her son, John. The two of them hit it off immediately and have been dating ever since. "I wouldn't change anything about him," she comments.

The future, as it turned out, was worth embracing. Even in the midst of troubles, during the lowest times of her life, Robin Myers found reasons to hold onto the certainty of a good future. Dr. Mitnick has witnessed her optimism. "Robin has always had a positive outlook. Her success is a tribute to her courage and hope. I give her most of the credit for how well she's done. We'll give a little to her doctors, too -- but definitely most of the credit goes to Robin."

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