
Mary was experiencing a number of health issues, and despite the numerous exams and blood tests, she wasn't getting any answers. After a trip to the emergency department confirmed Mary was in renal failure, she turned to UPMC Hamot for care.
At the UPMC Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program, we strive to make a positive difference in each person we treat.
During a stressful time full of decisions and next steps, we hope that the success stories of previous patients will help you focus on the impact that a transplant can have on your quality of life.
Note: These patients' treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.
As an only child growing up alongside her aunt Denise, Stephanie considered her more of a sister than an aunt. When Stephanie learned that Denise needed a kidney transplant, her response was to take action and begin the living donor evaluation process.
Elliott was born with a rare genetic disorder called oral-facial-digital syndrome type 1 (OFD1). Due to this syndrome, his kidneys were not formed normally. 18 years after Elliot's first kidney transplant he experienced a smoldering rejection of his kidney, leaving Elliot's mother to search for a hospital that would accept his high risk case. After being rejected by many hospitals, their hopes were low, until they met with the UPMC Kidney Transplant Program.
Since being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 9, Suzan struggled to manage her disease and side effects. Dealing with high blood sugar can lead to many complications. In adulthood, Suzan was diagnosed with the beginning stages of kidney disease and diabetic retinopathy, leading her to the UPMC Kidney Transplant Program at UPMC Harrisburg.
While working as a phlebotomist in Peru, Soledad was drawing her own blood for a routine lab test and realized her creatinine level was rising - an indicator of kidney disease. After this discovery she moved to the United States to have access to better care and support from her family. She met with the UPMC Harrisburg Transplant Services team and was placed on the transplant list until her father asked to be evaluated as a potential donor.
After a routine bloodwork appointment to renew his commercial driver’s license, Don received shocking results – he had stage 4 kidney disease. A few years after he was placed on the national kidney transplant list, he received a call from UPMC Harrisburg that a deceased-donor kidney was available and underwent surgery the next day.
Katie was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 8 years old. After college, Katie booked an appointment with a primary care specialist and received unsettling news. She was diagnosed with stage four kidney failure. In 2023, Katie underwent a rare pancreas-only transplant at UPMC Montefiore, which can offer a potential cure for diabetes.
Marsha was diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension, which led to end stage renal disease. While going through dialysis, Marsha's coordinator shared that she could be a good candidate for a transplant. After learning about Living-Donor Kidney Transplant at UPMC, Marsha's adopted daughter, Katie, stepped up to be her living donor.
Three years after suffering from a stroke, Dale's kidney did not recover with the rest of his body and he was disgnosed with kidney disease. Dale was on dialysis for 18 months before being added to the tranplant waiting list and beginning his search for a living donor. He was blown away when a stranger offered to be his living-donor in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After her father received a life-saving liver transplant, Heather decided to pay it forward and anonymously donate her liver or kidney, whichever was needed first, though the UPMC Transplant Services program. A few weeks later, she received a call and learned that her kidney was a match for a man she never met.
Tim Coles suffered from congestive heart failure in 2017. After a visit with his doctor, he learned that his kidneys had taken significant damage. As his kidney health declined, Tim was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure and began dialysis. The Coles traveled to UPMC Montefiore in Pittsburgh from Rochester, NY, to explore the option of a living-donor kidney transplant.
One night, after a long day of taking care of patients, Adnan woke up with severe abdominal pain. He was admitted to UPMC Passavant where doctors found three clots in the artery connected to his small intestine. He was immediately rushed into emergency surgery. He was successfully treated for that condition, but the medicine he took for his heart was damaging his kidneys. He needed a kidney transplant.
It had been nearly 10 years since George McClure received a kidney transplant, until he started experiencing symptoms again. He was diagnosed with nephritis and was in need of another kidney transplant to survive. George and his wife, Christine, discovered that she was not a blood group match. With 96,000 people on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, their only option was the UPMC Live Donor Exchange program.
Marisa Warford never imagined that her friendship with Shelley Trondle would end up saving her husband’s life. When Reggie, Marisa’s husband, needed a life-saving kidney transplant, Shelley was by his side and decided to become his living donor, an experience that changed both of their lives forever.
Jerry Ivory’s kidneys were larger than footballs when surgeons removed them — a result of a genetic illness called polycystic kidney disease. He had to quit work and even had problems breathing. With his kidneys gone, dialysis was only a short-term solution, and no one in his immediate family was able to be a living donor. After more than three years on the kidney transplant waitlist, Steve Fields came into the picture. A mutual friend had previously introduced Jerry and Steve, a postal worker from Oklahoma. Steve turned out to be a donor match for Jerry. Since the transplant, Jerry can now spend time with his family without extreme fatigue or dialysis. Steve has returned to his normal life — carrying mail 8 to 12 miles a day with no problem.
Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, Brenda Loving faced a difficult challenge. The wait for a kidney transplant may take years and with a family to care for, Brenda didn’t have time to waste. Luckily, her sister Melita volunteered to be tested as a potential living-kidney donor. Today, Brenda is doing great and is happily enjoying time with her family.
When her husband of 28 years was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a slowly progressing genetic disease that leads to other life-threatening illnesses, Kathy was more than willing to become his living-kidney donor. Today, Kathy and her husband are both doing great and believe that they are lucky to have found each other and fallen in love.
Like his brother, Courtney Bost’s husband was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. With the support of her sister, Kathy, Courtney saved his life by becoming his living-kidney donor. While he was hesitant at first and worried about his wife’s safety, he is forever grateful for the gift Courtney gave him.
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