Take My Kidney, Please

She stole his heart so he gave her his kidney. And now he wants it back.

So goes the story of 49-year-old Long Island physician Richard Batista and his estranged wife. In 2001, Batista gave one of his kidneys to Dawnell, 44, who had suffered from renal disease for many years. According to the NY Daily News, he said that Dawnell initiated an affair with her physical therapist two years later. She then filed for divorce in 2005 to end their 15-year marriage. “I saved her life,” Batista told the Daily News. “But the pain is unbearable.” At a news conference in Garden City on January 7, Dr. Batista’s lawyer said his client was demanding return of the kidney or $1.5 million (its estimated worth).

It is not difficult to sympathize with Dr. Batista. He is having an extreme form of donor remorse. While the vast majority of donors report a lasting feeling of self-worth and experience a deep sense of gratification from the act–according to surveys, about 95 percent of donors say they would do it again—some regret having donated.

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