Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • Central Pa. >
  • Transplant >
  • Patient Stories
Transplant
Contact Us
Our Team
Kidney Transplant
Living-Donor Kidney Transplant
Patient Stories
Resources and Forms
Transplant
Contact Us
Our Team
Kidney Transplant
Living-Donor Kidney Transplant
Patient Stories
Resources and Forms

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Transplant Patient Stories at UPMC in Central Pa.

Receiving a transplant, or becoming a donor, is a life-changing experience. Our transplant recipients and donors share their inspiring stories about how their lives have been transformed through organ donation.


Nadine and Chuck S.: Kidney Transplant

After learning that Nadine's family members weren't the right match to be kidney donors, Chuck went through the blood tests himself. They discovered that he wasn't just a match — he was a perfect match.

Read Nadine and Chuck's story

Michael: Transplant

Michael never knew that donating one kidney could trigger a “chain reaction” and improve the quality of life for multiple people until he saw a story on the national news that led him to contact the transplant team at UPMC in Central Pa.

Read Michael's story

Sara Herrick: Transplant

Sarah had been a designated organ donor on her license for years, but her thoughts never once turned to being a living donor until a woman at her church needed a kidney donor.

Read Sara Herrick's story

Lydia: Kidney Transplant

Lydia was excited and preparing for the birth of her first child. Little did she know, her kidneys were failing and putting her and her unborn son’s lives at risk. Follow Lydia’s journey through a high-risk pregnancy, dialysis, and an eventual paired kidney exchange transplant.

Read Lydia's story

Leonard Weaver: Kidney Transplant

Patience certainly is a virtue for Leonard Weaver, who at age 77, had waited nine years for his new kidney. Having a rare blood type and after 30 potential donors who ended up not being a match, Dialysis seemed to be his only hope. All of that changed, however on June 8, 2019, when he found his match.

Read Leonard Weaver's story

Lew Pryor: Kidney Transplant

For Gert and Lew Pryor, theirs is a love story that is both inspirational and almost surreal. Thirty-two years ago, Gert gave Lewis her heart when she walked down the aisle to say her vows. Unbeknownst to her, she later would give him her kidney and another new beginning.

Read Lew Pryor's story

Edith Kelley: Kidney Transplant

After an annual checkup indicated something was happening with Edith’s kidneys, she was sent to a kidney specialist and underwent a biopsy. The results were not good. The lower part of her organ was diseased and not working. In 2015, Edith went on dialysis until her transplant on March 6, 2019.

Read Edith Kelley's story

Frank Blemler: Kidney Transplant

They say that family is the tie that binds. For the Blemler family, nothing could be more accurate.

Read Frank Blemler's story

Duane Vragovich: Kidney Transplant

As a man who enjoys building hot rods, Duane knows it takes time to put all the right pieces into place before running at full capacity. Whether it’s his 1966 Chevy or his health, the bigger picture always has been in plain sight, along with patience and an overall appreciation for the people who have helped him along the way.

Read Duane Vragovich's story

Orlando Jaimes: Kidney Transplant

For Orlando, life is about new beginnings. Born with end stage renal disease, he died three times the day he was born and was on dialysis as a kid for nearly seven years, three times a week, where he says he spent a lot of time at home waiting for his first kidney.

Read Orlando Jaimes's story

TJ: Kidney Transplant

For TJ, what was thought to be typical “growing pains” turned out to be so much more. At the age of 16, his driver’s license physical revealed he had kidney disease that likely stemmed from having diabetes longer than he originally thought. TJ later was introduced to his nephrologist and was, in his words, “coasting” until life threw him another curveball.

Read TJ's story

Patrick McConnell: Kidney Transplant

At age 40, Paddy suffered a mini stroke due to high blood pressure, unbeknownst to him. While he changed medications, followed doctor’s orders, and attempted to get it under control, his kidneys slowly deteriorated over the years, leaving him with complete renal failure. Paddy had been placed on the transplant list at the end of 2016, after he connected with UPMC in Central Pa.

Read Patrick McConnell's story

Kelly Dietrich: Kidney Transplant

Kelly was diagnosed with kidney disease after having unexplained high blood pressure for two years as a young adult, along with fatigue and nausea. She was told she had IgA Nephropathy. Furthermore, the deterioration of her kidneys was happening fast, and she ended up on peritoneal dialysis for 10 months before her first transplant at age 27. Kelly felt fortunate that her husband was able to be her donor.

Read Kelly Dietrich's story

Grace Ajemba: Kidney Transplant

According to the Christian faith, the word “grace” means the free and unmerited favor of God as a bestowal of blessings. Anyone who has met Grace Ajemba may say she embodies that very definition given her personal journey. When Grace miscarried at four months, she remained ill and unaware of the cause until bloodwork revealed that she had multiple cysts on her kidney. Eventually, she would end up on dialysis. It was a diagnosis and lifestyle about which she was in denial for several years.

Read Grace Ajemba's story

Cecil Blackman: Kidney Transplant

Ongoing high blood pressure led to Cecil’s kidney failure in 2004. Yet, that was just the beginning of his health challenges. Several medical conditions, including infections in his spine, as well as a prostate cancer diagnosis, followed by stomach cancer, kept him on dialysis for nearly 15 years.

Read Cecil Blackman's story

Son Tamang: Kidney Transplant

Son and Buddhi moved from Nepal to the U.S. and found out that Son needed a kidney transplant. Buddhi answered the call and donated her kidney to her husband.

Read Soson Tamang's story

Victor Guerrero: Kidney Transplant

After moving from Mexico, Victor taught at a charter school until his retirement. After retiring and being diagnosed with kidney disease he received a kidney donation.

Read Victor Guerrero's story

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC in Central Pa.
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login