After battling kidney disease for at least the last three years, Plymouth Schools Superintendent, Daniel Tyree, will finally get a much anticipated transplant on June 24. Tyree said he wasn’t feeling well before he was diagnosed. He said, “I really don’t know when or why it started.”
The timing couldn’t be better since the regular school year just ended and his doctors have told him his recovery should be from 4-6 weeks, just in time for the 2015-2016 school year to start. Tyree said, “My surgery was scheduled by the surgeon. As soon as my donor passed her final test, the surgery was put on the books.” He added, “I’m glad that it fell during the summer, but I had no choice in the matter.”
Tyree said, “My donor has chosen to remain anonymous, so I will honor that choice. But I can’t believe the sacrifice she is making for me.” “While we have been friends for several years, we have no family ties. She just wanted to do this for me. It completely renews my faith in the people from this community. We stick together when we are down.” he added.
Even after the surgery, Tyree will be making the trip to the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis every Tuesday and Friday for the next three months when they will monitor the anti-rejection medications that he will be on the rest of his life.
Tyree said he is leaving the Plymouth Schools in good hands. Assistant Superintendent, Andy Hartley, and Director of Quality Programs, Brooke Busse, only moved into their positions in January of this year. Tyree said, “Andy and Brooke will be holding down the fort while I am gone. I have included both of them in lots of experiences the last six months because I knew this day might come. I have no doubt that they are ready and capable of running our corporation.” His confidence also extends to principals and teachers. “I also feel very confident in our administrative team and teachers. We have systems in place and so many leaders who want nothing but to do the best for the children in the Plymouth Schools” he said.
Tyree said, “The School Board has been very supportive of my illness and the time I have needed off to care for myself. This is part of our core values. We try to work with any employees in a similar situation.”
According to Tyree, the surgery will be approximately four hours long and he will be in the hospital for five to seven days. Tyree said, “The IU Med Center is rated 7th in the nation for successful kidney transplants with a 98.9 percent success rate.” “My surgeon is ranked as the 5th most prolific kidney transplant surgeons in the United States. I feel very confident in the health provider I have chosen. This is the only hospital that I registered with for the transplant program.” he said.
Tyree is grateful for the support of his family, friends, and the Plymouth community. He said, “I want to thank my wife Charlotte, who has sacrificed her own life to help me when I made the choice to do home dialysis. There were many nights when she was very tired, but she made sure I got my treatment every night.” His son Jon has spent the last ten days in Plymouth, but will have to return to his job in Washington D.C. and daughters Katie and Nancy will be at the hospital. Katie will be with him the night before surgery and return home to care for her three boys, including a newborn.
When Tyree posted a short note on Facebook that he will be going in for surgery, there were some 345 “likes” and 122 comments of support posted within a few hours. Many posts were from former students and colleagues from his days as a teacher and speech team coach at PHS. “Facebook is a motivator for me. I am amazed at the response to my post and it helps me go into this with a lot of confidence.” he said.
Having a dialysis center in Plymouth has been a bonus, according to Tyree. “I want to thank the gals at the LifePlex Dialysis Center for taking good care of me the first three months I was on dialysis. They not only took care of me, but they encouraged me to get on the transplant list.”
Tyree said he will be able to have visitors during his stay at the hospital, but no flowers. He is also hoping to see PHS graduate Ryan Pickell who is doing his residency at the hospital.
Katie (Tyree) Bowsher said, “We are forever grateful to the donor. My dad went from being extremely active in the community and with his family to being stuck on a machine for over 4 hours a day. Because of the donor’s selfless act, my dad will be able to go back to being active again.” Bowsher’s three-year-old son Duncan says he just wants his “Papa Danny” to take him fishing again.
Carol Anders Correspondent
