Marine saves Marine through directed organ donation

According to an AP story in Stars and Stripes:

Nicknamed "Superman" because of his chiseled 6-foot-3 frame, Marine Lt. Patrick Wayland saved his most heroic act for last. He donated a kidney to a comrade he never met.

Wayland, a flight student at Pensacola Naval Air Station, died earlier this month after his heart stopped beating during water survival training. He was already an organ donor, but while on life support, his family decided they wanted to help a fellow Marine.

A doctor who treated the 24-year-old Wayland searched the Internet for "Marine needing transplant" and found a website for Sgt. Jacob "Jake" Chadwick, who was stationed on the other side of the country at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Lt. Wayland's family used a process called "directed donation." They directed the donation of Lt. Wayland's kidney to Sgt. Chadwick. Directed donation is the same process used by LifeSharers members to direct their donations to fellow LifeSharers members.

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