Doug Lack Accepts the Donations

by Bill Tobin 12/15/11

The funds raised by C & R Hot Dogs on Tuesday to support Doug Lack's kidney transplant...

...were matched by Fiske's General Store, Holliston Lions Club and the Holliston Business Association's Community Action Fund were presented to Doug on Thursday.

C & R Hot Dogs hosted a fundraiser for Doug Lack, a popular art teacher a Holliston High School on Tuesday. C & R offered to donate a percentage of each lunch purchased to this fund. Fiske's General Store agreed to match it dollar for dollar. The HBA joined in with the match and the Lions Club made a donation.

On Thursday,the collected donations were presented to Doug Lack at C & R Hot Dogs.  . L-R, Doug, Carl Damigella presenting the check from the Lions Club, Theresa Lamkin making the C & R contribution, Jay Marsden presenting the HBA donations and John Paltriineri handing Doug the check from Fiske's.  The grand total was $1,000.

Doug appreciates and thanks all his friends in Holliston who have contributed to him. If all goes as planned, he will receive a kidney from living donor shortly. 

Doug has been a teacher at Holliston High for 13 years and has earned the respect of his students and fellow faculty. In 2006 he received the Massachusetts Art Education Association Educator of the Year award and is frequently voted the most popular teacher by the senior class.

In 1992 Doug was diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangitis. This is a rare autoimmune disease that has damaged his kidneys. The steroids he has taken over the past 20 years has caused problems with his hip that required surgical treatment.

The staff at the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital have screened possible donors for Doug and have narrowed the selection to three.  Two of three are known to him. One is a fellow art teacher, not  Holliston, and the other is a childhood  Newton neighbor and high school friend. The decision on who will be the actual donor is made by the hospital staff with the help of a computer program that analyzes 39 categories on each potential donor.

The time scale is not certain as there are so many contingencies with a transplant and the patient. The surgery will be covered by insurance but there are many expenses not covered that the donated funds will, such as loss of pay, medications, parking and lodging expenses and so on. Doug plans to share his donated funds with the donor to offset expenses incurred there as well. The recuperation time post surgery is about one month.  Asked how he is doing, Doug replied "Overwhelming!"

A fund has been established at the Middlesex Savings Bank iin Holliston to accept contributions called The Holliston D L Club.

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