Now, the 22-year-old South Jordan woman has decided to do something more drastic - give one of her kidneys to an Intermountain Health Care (IHC) co-worker, Vicki Vernon.

"Vicki came into work one day and was upset. I said, 'Dude, I have two kidneys. I'll give you one.' I prayed about it. I said, 'If I'm supposed to help Vicki, make me a match,' " she said.

Her blood type was O positive, the same as that of Vernon, a 47-year-old Salt Lake City woman who has been on the organ transplant list since April. Vernon was flabbergasted by Mackelprang's offer. "She's a one-in-a-million, rare person," Vernon said.

But their plan struck a hitch: Getting paid leave for Mackelprang to recover. With their operations now tentatively scheduled for September, the two women and other co-workers are on an ambitious mission to encourage all employers to offer paid leave to people who wish to donate an organ.

They have set their sights all the way to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of the state's largest employers.

"We're trying to get all employers on the bandwagon and have people more aware of this," Vernon said. "It would be great if the [LDS] church got on board."

The women are working with David Nemelka, founder of the Quest for the Gift of Life Foundation in Mapleton, who has corresponded with church officials for about a year.

"It's time for the LDS Church to speak out publicly about organ donation," Nemelka said. "Many members don't know what the church's position is, and they are not donating their loved ones' organs. If the church would make a statement, it would have a lot of influence.

"And if the church implemented a paid-leave program for their employees, it would take Utah over the top." Dale Bills, spokesman for the church, said existing sick-leave policies cover the time needed for church employees to take paid time off if they choose to be living organ donors for kidney or bone marrow transplants.

The church's stand on organ donation: "The church leaves to the individual member the decision to will or donate one's own body organs or tissue for medical purposes," Bills said. "When a deceased member has not expressed a preference, the decision to transplant organs or tissue is made by the family. The decision to receive a donated organ is left to the individual after prayerful consideration of competent medical counsel."

Currently, 280 Utahns are on the transplant list, with more than 60 percent of them needing kidneys. That number was 360 four years ago.

But thanks to the efforts of Intermountain Donor Services, the Quest for the Gift of Life Foundation and other individuals and groups, organ donation is on the rise. Living donors also are increasing, in response to initiatives by those groups and the state.

In 2003, the Legislature passed a law giving state employees who become donors 30 days of paid leave. Other companies, the University of Utah and a few cities have followed suit.

Also, anyone in Utah can receive a tax break for donating a kidney. The Living Donor Tax Credit was passed into law this past legislative session. According to this law, anyone who donates a kidney can receive up to $10,000 in tax credits for expenses related to the donation, including lost wages, travel expenses and meals.

Even so, the organ transplant waiting list is growing faster than the organs available, with 90,000 people nationally waiting for them. That's because the population is getting older and needing more transplants, and most organ donors result from head injuries, which have declined as more people wear seat belts and helmets.

"Of course, if a huge employer like the LDS Church offered 30 days paid leave for its employees, that would add to the number of available organs," said Ben Dieterle with Intermountain Donor Services.

Vernon needs a transplant because she has suffered from polycystic kidney disease for years and her kidneys are functioning at 12 percent. The inherited renal disorder is characterized by the presence of multiple cysts in the kidneys, which grow as the disease progresses and can cause kidney failure. Vernon's mother, two sisters and 29-year-old son also have the condition.

People sometimes wait years before receiving a kidney and often have to endure lengthy dialysis procedures. Vernon thought she would be one of them until Mackelprang's surprising and generous offer. The two worked together but weren't close friends outside the West Valley City IHC office, where they are employed in the collections department.

"This will make the quality of my life so much better," Vernon said. "I've seen family members go through dialysis, and it's hard."

IHC was at first uncertain whether to give Mackelprang four weeks of paid leave for her recuperation. With the help of co-worker Tracy Horsley, a fiery redhead who intervened, and others, Mackelprang ultimately received a month of paid leave. She plans to take six weeks in all to heal.

Horsley also rallied the accounts-receivable employees and organized a program for more than 20 IHC employees to donate $10 a paycheck for Mackelprang.

Joan Arata, who coordinates kidney, liver and pancreas transplant programs for LDS Hospital and is the chairwoman of the Utah Coalition for Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation, said IHC works with potential donors on a case-by-case basis and will review whether to create a formal paid-leave employee benefit in 2006.

"We have four employees who have come forward to donate a kidney, and we think that's a neat thing to do," Arata said.

Nemelka said the world needs more people with Mackelprang's compassion. Mackelprang, however, downplays the praise, saying she is doing what is simply right.

"In the end we're all family, so I really don't see why we should treat each other differently," she said. "I'm not a hero. God's a hero."

chamilton@sltrib.com

Donating time

These are some of the employers that have joined the Workplace Partners Program and offer 30 days paid leave for employees who donate a kidney. The program was initiated by the Utah Coalition for Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation to increase donation awareness in the workplace.

C.R. England, Inc.

Associated Foods

USANA

Provo City Government

State of Utah Government

Ogden City Government

University of Utah

Merit Medical Systems

Intermountain Donor Services

- Source: Intermountain Donor Services