Kidney donor on the Internet

A man who turned to the Internet in hopes of finding a kidney &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/fun/2001/12/17/23754.html ' target=_blank>donor underwent dialysis Wednesday to prepare to receive his new organ, two days after a surgeon decided not to perform the procedure because of questions about the practice of Web matching. Bob Hickey, 58, underwent dialysis early Wednesday, to be followed by a meeting with Dr. Igal Kam, the surgeon whose objections postponed the &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/society/2002/06/19/30711.html ' target=_blank>transplant. The meeting was described as a time for "healing the scars of the last several days."

The operation was scheduled to begin later Wednesday and take about 4 hours.

Kam suddenly canceled Monday's transplant operation after learning that Hickey had met his donor, Robert Smitty, 32, of Chattanooga, Tenn., through a &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/main/2001/08/02/11608.html ' target=_blank>Web sitecalled MatchingDonors.com. Smitty agreed to give Hickey one of his kidneys before the two men ever met, informs ABC News.

Hickey connected with a 32-year-old truck driver, Rob Smitty, who says he's only being reimbursed about $4,500 for lost wages, hotel expenses, and travel costs from his home in Chattanooga, Tenn.

"I've never asked Mr. Hickey for a dime, and he's never given me anything besides what was allowed by law," Smitty told the newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News reported.

The panel later advised the hospital to make a compassionate exception, once both men had signed statements indicating that neither would benefit financially.