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.
As a registered nurse (RN), Mary always felt called to help others. One day, Mary saw a flier in a local shop window for a woman, Michelle, who needed a kidney donor. In March 2025, Mary underwent a living-donor kidney transplant at UPMC Montefiore and donated one of her kidneys to Michelle.
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.
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.
Due to a hereditary condition called Alport syndrome, Veronica needed a kidney transplant. Weeks before the surgery was scheduled the transplant program at the Hershey hospital was inactivated. Her case was then transferred to UPMC Harrisburg. Read more about her experience at UPMC.
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.
Adan, a mathematics teacher from Manheim, Pa., needed a kidney transplant after his kidneys failed in 2021. His partner, Kendy, offered to become his living donor and the pair had a successful transplant at UPMC Harrisburg.
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.
After a routine primary care appointment, 20-year-old Taylor received startling blood test results. She was diagnosed with Stage 5 of chronic kidney disease (CKD). She received a kidney transplant and was still able to graduate college on time with high honors.
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.
Living-kidney donors can be friends, family members, or even complete strangers. Check out this story that features six people who took part in a living-donor kidney exchange at UPMC, which resulted in a domino of giving and lifesaving care for everyone involved.
David has been passionate about martial arts since he was a child. After he was diagnosed with kidney disease and required dialysis, he had to temporarily step off the mats. But after receiving a kidney transplant and regaining his energy levels, David was able to return to the mats.
Kian’s father was diagnosed with kidney disease when she was just two. It was difficult watching him struggle with health issues as she grew up, and Kian promised him that one day she would save his life. Kian had that opportunity years later when she became his living donor.
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.
Rebekah first learned about living donation when one of her students needed a kidney and liver transplant. After hearing their story Rebekah felt compelled to become a living donor and donated a portion of her liver and a kidney to two individuals whom she had never met.
When John went into kidney failure, not one of the other 247 deputies at his Ohio sheriff's department knew that he had kidney disease. The moment he was hoping would never come, finally did. He was going to need a kidney transplant.
Mike Thomas was no stranger to transplant in 2017, when he was told he would need his third transplant. Luckily, he had a generous living donor who had waited for 13 years to donate her kidney to him.
Ken Fitzpatrick lived with kidney disease for over 30 years when his kidney function began to rapidly decline. He pursued living donation and two people offered to donate right away. Unfortunately, neither of them were a match.
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.
Kristen McCurdy was 17 when she underwent her first kidney transplant. It was a successful surgery and her new kidney lasted nearly 19 years, but in August 2016, Kristen found out her kidney function was once again declining.
Shortly after learning she had uterine cancer, Maureen Hammond found out she also had end-stage renal failure. She turned to the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute at UPMC, where she underwent a deceased-donor kidney transplant to save her life.
Andre Curry hated seeing his wife, Lori, in pain due to her end-stage kidney disease. When he learned a living-donor kidney transplant was a possibility, he immediately stepped up to be her donor. Lori is back to living a healthy life and Andre is extremely thankful he could save his wife.
At age 69, with her husband and family behind her, Wanda Wilson made one of the most important decisions of her life – to become a living-kidney donor for her niece, Jody.
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.
Kelly Mowry could not imagine what life would be like without her father, Bob. So, when Bob needed a kidney transplant, Kelly immediately volunteered to be his living donor. After Kelly's life-saving decision, she and her father are both healthy and are now closer than they have ever been.
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.
After Jeanne’s husband received a life-saving living donor transplant from a family member, she was extremely grateful and happy to have her husband back. So, when she had the chance to return the favor and become a living donor for someone else, she didn’t think twice.
After Randy's nephrologist noticed his kidneys were slowly deteriorating, he came to UPMC to undergo kidney transplant evaluation. They found that his son, Nick, was a perfect living-donor kidney match for his father. Now, Randy is back to living a full life.
For Tammy Galiano Merritt, family has always been very important. So, when she learned that her uncle needed a kidney transplant, she immediately volunteered to be his living donor and was overwhelmed at the idea of being able to save the life of someone she loves.
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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