Donor Dad Drops 85 Pounds To Save Daughter’s Life

Randy Leamer’s motivation to lose 85 pounds in six months was much stronger than his health or his vanity. It was the life of his daughter.

Meagan Leamer, 4, needs a kidney transplant in the fall. Doctors told her father last December, when he weighed 297 pounds, that he must lose about 100 pounds to be a donor.

“I didn’t want them to have to wait for me,” he said. “I wanted to be ready before she was ready.”

Doctors had told the 5-foot-7 Leamer that his obesity would increase the danger of pneumonia, blood clots and other complications from the surgery.

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic, where Meagan is being treated for complications of a kidney disease, said some patients have been asked to lose 30 or 40 pounds. Leamer’s weight and his quick loss are unusual, they said.

“But he’s got more motivating factors than most people. Talk about a carrot,” said Dr. Robert Cunningham, Meagan’s kidney specialist.