Supporting organ donation is a family affair for Denton resident Patti Martin and her daughter, Christine Brauss, and son, Fred Martin.

“As a family, we have been very involved with the kidney foundation,” Patti Martin said. “They do wonderful things.”

Tonight, the three will be among those honored by the National Kidney Foundation Serving North Texas at the organization’s 2009 Gift of Life Gala, which pays tribute to individuals on the giving and receiving ends of organ donation.

Courtesy photo

Christine Brauss, left, Fred Martin and Patti Martin will each receive a Gift of Life Award from the National Kidney Foundation Serving North Texas at the organization’s 2009 Gift of Life Gala tonight.

View larger More photos Photo store

Brauss will receive the Gift of Life Award as a two-time kidney transplant recipient, and her mother and brother will be honored with the award as donors.

Patti Martin donated a kidney to her daughter in 1982. A few years later, Fred Martin donated a kidney to his sister after doctors found that the anti-rejection medication that Brauss was taking had become toxic to her new organ, making another transplant necessary.

The decision to donate a kidney to her daughter was an easy one to make, Martin said.

“I never gave it a second thought,” she said this week, recalling the day her daughter was hooked up to a dialysis machine for the first time.

“It’s rather painful,” Martin said. “I vowed then that we were going to get her off dialysis as quickly as possible.”

“My mother was distraught,” Brauss remembered. “She kept saying, ‘We’ve got to do something about this.’”

She and her late husband, Mike, were each tested as possible donors, Martin said.

“Both my husband and I approached the doctor and asked to be checked,” she said. “Both were compatible. It was decided that it was going to be me.”

Then in her early 20s, Brauss — who had been diagnosed with renal problems as a child — said her mother’s gift changed her life.

“That gave me a good 12 years of good health,” she said.

When another transplant was needed, Fred Martin was found to be a perfect match, Brauss said.

“The anti-rejection drugs that they give you can be toxic to the transplanted organs,” Brauss said. “My brother stepped up.

“We just celebrated 13 years with this one.”

Today, all three are firm supporters of the kidney foundation. Fred Martin and Brauss organize a yearly golf tournament to raise funds for the organization’s Camp Reynal, a camp for children with kidney disease. The family also tries to spread the word about the importance of donating organs.

“I want to do anything I can to get the message out there that transplantation is a wonderful thing and it can save lives,” Brauss said. “I’m a great example of transplantation and what it can do. It’s wonderful, and it’s happened to me twice.”

Both also work to overcome doubts and fears about organ transplant surgery.

“I’d be glad to talk to you as a donor,” Patti Martin said. “I’ve lived a great life, and I’ve been very happy. They didn’t put me at any risk at all. You have to know that you’re in good hands.”

“It’s the unknown,” Brauss said. “I understand that. That’s the reason why we have to have functions like this [Gift of Life Gala]. We have to get the word out there.”

Advances in medical care should also be considered, Brauss said.

“It’s not as invasive as it used to be,” she said of transplantation. “They’ve come a long way.”

Brauss, who now lives in Plano and will soon celebrate her 50th birthday, said the Gift of Life Award means a lot.

“It’s so hard to explain what it feels like to get this award,” she said. “It’s a huge honor.”

Patti Martin agreed.

“I feel very honored just being acknowledged,” she said. “It’s quite an honor.”

The gala will be held at 7 p.m. at the Northwood Club, 6524 Alpha Road in Dallas.

The event will commemorate the 45th anniversary of the first successful kidney transplant in Texas, performed by Dr. Paul C. Peters, urologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, at Parkland Hospital in 1964.

The Paul C. Peters Award for Excellence, established by the kidney foundation in 2001, honors medical professionals for their dedication to patients and their achievements in the field of organ transplant surgery.

This year’s recipients are: Dr. Arthur Sagalowsky, UT Southwestern Medical Center; Dr. Richard Dickerman, Methodist Dallas Medical Center and Medical City Dallas Hospital; and Dr. Goran Klintmalm, Baylor University Medical Center.

Additional Gift of Life Award recipients at this year’s gala include Gary and Linda Lupher, in memory of their daughter, organ donor Lauren Lupher.

To make reservations or for more information on sponsorships, contact Julie Larson at 214-351-2393 or julie.larson@kidney.org.

LES COCKRELL can be reached at 940-566-6887. His e-mail address is lcockrell@dentonrc.com.