Leavitt, son doing well after transplant

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2003 | 11:08 a.m.

Nevada Supreme Court Justice Myron Leavitt and his son Jim Leavitt were recovering Monday night after the son donated a kidney to his father at a Las Vegas hospital.

"He's doing very well," the justice's wife, Shirley, said.

Leavitt was expected to spend the night in a University Medical Center intensive care unit, she said Monday, and Jim Leavitt was in a hospital room recovering.

Physicians told Leavitt that his kidneys were failing in part because of a diabetic condition. The 73-year-old justice faced either regular dialysis or a transplant.

Leavitt's 11 children all volunteered to donate a kidney, Shirley Leavitt said. Jim Leavitt, the youngest, a 35-year-old attorney, was most compatible for donating a kidney to his father.

A week ago Jim Leavitt finished a series of medical examinations and tests, allowing the operation to proceed.

The justice is expected to remain off the bench until after the first of the year, his wife said. He is expected to return to a normal life within two months.

Judge Leavitt has been a member of the state Supreme Court since 1998. He was elected to a six-year term in 2000.

He was a member of the District Court Bench for 14 years before joining the Supreme Court and had been in private practice as an attorney for 28 years.

The waiting list for kidneys was 151 Nevadans on Thursday, down from 157 two weeks ago, according to Anne Sagel, community education coordinator for the Nevada Donor Network.

More than 20 million Americans have chronic kidney disease and another 20 million are at risk for the disease, the National Kidney Foundation says.