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 >
  • Victor Guerrero
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

Victor Guerrero: Kidney Transplant

Victor’s face lights up when he talks about his homeland’s cuisine. “If you ever visit Mexico, you’ll be spoiled by the delicious food. For a long time, I made the mistake of eating dishes that were wonderful to taste — but not so good for my health,” he says. Diagnosed with diabetes in his mid-40s, he admits he didn’t always pay attention to his diet. “And I always struggled with tracking my glucose. I hated the finger pricks,” he adds. “Together, my diabetes and high blood pressure slowly destroyed my kidneys.”

Victor spent 30 years as an elementary, high school, and university educator and school administrator in Guadalajara, Mexico. When he retired in 2010, he moved his family to central Pennsylvania to teach at Vida Charter School, a bilingual school in Gettysburg. “The community was incredibly welcoming to us. This is an amazing, friendly place — a perfect choice to raise our family,” he says.
In 2016, Victor was diagnosed with kidney disease and told he was at high risk for renal failure.

Two years later, he began peritoneal dialysis and retired from teaching in 2019. “I became very tired and depressed. I wanted to stop the dialysis but my wife kept me going,” he says. “She’s the reason I continued.”

On Oct. 16, 2021, Victor received his first — and only — call to come to the hospital for a possible deceased-donor kidney. “It was a match and almost overnight, I felt like a new person,” he says. “And I am so grateful for the gift of life my donor gave me. Although we never met, I pray for him and thank him every single day.”

Victor has high praise for his transplant surgeon, Danielle Ladie, MD,  and the UPMC Harrisburg Kidney Transplant Services team. “Their professionalism and the great compassion they have for their patients is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he says. Victor also credits the team for getting him a permanent sensor to monitor and better regulate his blood sugar levels. He also dutifully measures his blood pressure every morning and night.

Today, one of Victor’s favorite pastimes is to visit a creek near his home to relax and listen to the water. Occasionally, his grandchildren will join him; other times, he’ll bring along his guitar to play. “In college, I was part of a small band of students who would serenade their girlfriends, just like they do in Spain,” he says. “I played and sang for my girlfriend then — and after 44 years of marriage, we are still together.”

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