KROQ’s Bean to donate kidney to CBS Engineer

Gene “Bean” Baxter of CBS Radio’s heritage Alternative KROQ-FM LA has entertained that market’s audiences since 1990 alongside on-air partner Kevin Ryder, as part of the “Kevin and Bean” morning show.  In addition to making legions of over the air friends, Bean has created longstanding relationships inside the KROQ offices.  In that vein, Bean announced that on 11/13 he will become a kidney donor to help longtime CBS Radio and KROQ staffer, Scott Mason, Director of Engineering, West Coast, who has been with the company in a variety of capacities since 1979.

Bean, who lives in Seattle, will make the trip to Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles to donate his kidney to Scott.

Hear the full discussion with Bean and Scott on this morning’s Kevin and Bean

http://kroq.cbslocal.com/2012/11/01/kroqs-bean-on-why-i-am-giving-up-a-kidney/

Everyone at KROQ was shocked and in disbelief when Bean announced “I have decided to help a friend out by donating a kidney.”  This is the second kidney transplant for Scott, who has had kidney problems for most of his adult life and underwent a previous transplant from a cadaver in 1999.  The last kidney he received lasted about 10 years and Scott, who suffered a silent heart attack in the past year, and currently undergoes daily dialysis, calls Bean’s decision a “game changer.” Bean calls it a “no-brainer.”

Scott has been on a waiting list for a kidney, which sometimes is a six to 10 year wait, when Bean offered his kidney.  For Bean, it was an educational process and a decision based on math, not emotions – said Bean, “[Scott] has zero, I have two.”

On 11/13, the two will go to Cedars Sinai, one of four hospitals in the country that have the ability to match Scott’s blood type to Bean’s blood type and give him the much needed organ.  Bean plans to take a few weeks off from work, and expects his remaining kidney to function at about 80%.

Out of this whole process, Bean hopes that people will see how easy it is to become an organ donor, and if he recovers and is back to work in a short time, it may be an even stronger message, changing the minds of some and raising awareness of organ donation.