Page 41 - WilmU - Spring 2017

people were concerned and pulling for us made the process easier.”
During the first week after the operation Sten was tired and took several naps every day. “After two weeks that side effect improved and I was able to stay active throughout the day,” he says.
An IT project leader at Herr Foods in Nottingham, Pa., Sten says his employer was generous in allowing him time off to undergo tests and to recover from the operation. He returned to work four weeks after the surgery, but wasn’t allowed to pick up anything weighing more than 10 pounds for six weeks after that. Some doctors advise donors to avoid contact sports, but, generally speaking, they can pursue a normal level of activity after surgery.
Sten’s level of activity is anything but normal. Aside from his work with the Libertarian Party, he enjoys the outdoors and astronomy and is a dedicated biker, in addition to being the father of two daughters, ages 20 and 13.
Oh, and he’s working on his fourth graduate degree from Wilmington University. That’s right: his fourth.
Sten earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware in 1994, and a few years later, he went to work at Herr’s in the IT department.
Career and family (and the Libertarian Party) kept him busy for a few years, but he had always harbored a desire to further his education, and in 2007 he decided to scratch that educational itch.
After doing some research, Sten chose WilmU. “It was nearby, it offered face-to-face classes that fit my schedule, and it was [economically]
reasonable,” he says, “with no out-of- state penalty for tuition.”
He enrolled in the fall of 2007 and received his Master’s in Internet and Web Design two years later.
Apparently bitten with the higher education bug, he became a serial earner of master’s degrees, all from WilmU. He got a Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems in 2011. Then came a Master’s in Management and Management Infor- mation Systems in 2015. Currently, he’s working on advanced degree No. 4, a Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Organizational Leadership.
He became an adjunct in 2012, teaching graduate level courses in the College of Technology.
“I’m absolutely blown away by some of my students in terms of their résumés and their experiences,” he says. “Most of them are international, from India, Africa, China.”
He says he has had no problems living with one kidney. “I have very few restrictions. I can’t take Advil and I can’t go on the Adkins Diet [because excess protein can put stress on the kidneys], but that’s not going to keep me from having a steak or a burger now and then.” He says a donor’s kidney will increase in size to compensate for the loss of the donated kidney.
Most of all, though, he’s happy for Dymowski. “I was so thankful that things worked out well for Leo, and that the new kidney made such a dramatic difference for him.”
Sten says he’s willing to talk to anyone who is thinking about becoming a donor. His advice: “Go for it. It’s a very positive experience.” WU
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ten’s level of activity
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is anything
but normal. Aside from his work with the Libertarian Party, he enjoys the outdoors and astronomy and is a dedicated biker. ...
Oh, and he’s working on his fourth graduate degree from Wilmington University.
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