Most workers dread Monday mornings. However, don’t tell that to Larry Landry, the Division Manager of Landry Aero Division at LeGros Airport in Estherwood.

“When the doctor told me I could return to work on Monday I couldn’t wait to get here,” he smiled.

Landry received a kidney transplant just over three weeks ago. While most patients who undergo this operation require three months recovery time, Landry was back hard at work at his desk Monday. He credits his fast recovery with taking care of his body during the five years he was on the waiting list and undergoing dialysis.

“I would work out at the spa for an hour and a half six days a week,” said Landry who at 68 is obviously a determined man.

Landry’s story, however, doesn’t end with his quick recovery time.

As previously mentioned he was underwent dialysis daily for five years, as he waited for a matching kidney. The process through which he eventually received a matching kidney is nothing short of miraculous. In fact, it was the first time the procedure was performed in Louisiana. The procedure is called the Domino Paired Exchange Kidney transplant.

A woman named Renee Credeur-Bergeron had just received a new kidney. Her co-worker wanted to give Renee her kidney, but she wasn’t a match. Enter in 23-year-old Tamra Greene, who after watching her uncle get sick with renal failure, decided to donate her own kidney to Tulane Medical Center.

“I just feel like if more people were to donate and be selfless than it wouldn’t have happened , he wouldn’t have to wait and lives could be saved,” said Greene.

Transplant Dr. Anil Paranesh of Tulane Medical Center, realized that Tamra and if Renee’s co-worker was still up to donating her kidney, he could give it to someone else. So that’s exactly what happened in the Domino Paired Exchange Kidney Transplant.

Tamra could donate to Renee, her co-worker could donate to someone else that they match, and that person’s donor could donate to someone else on the waiting list - Larry Landry.

“About two months ago, I was called in as the secondary recipient in case the primary recipient didn’t match,” said Landry. “And they did match so we went home.”

“I got another phone call at 11:30 p.m., it seems like that’s when they always called, to be the secondary again,” he said. “And again I ended up going home. Then I got a call the next day at 4:30 p.m. asking me to come back and by 9 a.m. the next morning I was finally in surgery receiving a matching kidney.”

Whether it was his good conditioning or simply luck, as soon as the kidney was put in it started working.

“Usually you have to go through some more dialysis,” said Landry. “Thankfully I didn’t.”

“I don’t miss dialysis,” he added. “It simply wears you out. But when I realized that I wouldn’t have to be receiving it anymore I brought some donuts to the nurses who gave me dialysis for those five years and got a hug from each one of them.”

“One of the nurses walked up to me and said ‘Larry I’ve got some bad news for you, we don’t have a chair for you today’,” he said with a wide smile.

Recently Tulane Medical Center held a party for all six of the donors and those who received their transplants. While Landry was thankful for all the doctors and other donors he couldn’t help but think of the one girl (Tamra Greene) who donated her kidney because she felt it was the right thing to do.

“That little girl donated her kidney to nobody, to Tulane,” said Landry. “She really is something else, a hero.”

Landry also wanted to be sure that Greene’s act of kindness would be passed along to others so that they would possibly repeat her generous act.

“I really am determined to try to promote more donors,” he said. “There are currently 85,000 people in the United States awaiting a kidney and 1,700 of those are in Louisiana. I had no idea there were that many.”