Kidney disease can be a life-altering diagnosis, forcing individuals to navigate the challenges of dialysis or face the lengthy wait for a deceased-donor transplant. Most patients on the national kidney transplant waiting list will wait an average of four to six years or more before receiving a transplant.
But for many, kidney donation offers hope for a longer, healthier life. Mary is one of the thousands of selfless individuals who stepped forward to donate a kidney — and give a stranger a new lease on life.
Living kidney donation is possible because most people are born with two kidneys but can function normally with just one. Most people with two healthy kidneys can safely donate one to someone with kidney failure. Both donor and donor recipient can live healthy lives with just one kidney.
The Path to Living Donation
Mary is a registered nurse (RN) who works for a Medicaid-managed care organization in Maryland. One day in August 2024, the Garrett County, Md. resident saw a flier in a local shop window for a woman, Michelle, who needed a kidney donor. Michelle was listed on the national kidney transplant waiting list at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, which was nearly two hours from where Mary lived.
“I’m 56 years old and healthy, and it occurred to me that I wouldn’t be less healthy with one kidney,” says Mary. “It felt like a no-brainer. I don’t have young children at home, and I work from home. I felt called to see if I could be a match.”
A few weeks later, Mary called the number on the flier and drove to UPMC Presbyterian the following December for testing to see if she was a match for Michelle. The pair met up to meet in person shortly after they discovered they were a match.
Surgery Day at UPMC
In March 2025, Mary made the two-hour drive back to UPMC Presbyterian for surgery, with Amit Tevar, MD, as her surgeon.
On surgery day, Mary was excited. She met Michelle for the second time and also met her family. Mary had a laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, which is a minimally invasive procedure where a surgeon removes a kidney from a living donor through small incisions in the abdomen. This technique uses a small camera called a laparoscope and specialized instruments to visualize and operate on the kidney, resulting in a faster recovery and less scarring compared to traditional open surgery.
Once she woke up from surgery later that day, Mary’s care team had her walk and move around to begin the healing process. The next day, Mary was discharged from the hospital but stayed in Pittsburgh for eight days following the surgery for follow-up appointments. On the eighth day, she was able to drive back home to Maryland.
“I saw Michelle after the surgery, and her skin looked amazing,” says Mary. “I could immediately see the effects that my kidney gave her. She looks like a completely different person now.”
The UPMC Experience
Even though Mary only lived about two hours from UPMC Presbyterian, she says she did not know much about the hospital system before she saw the flier.
“I had never heard of UPMC before, but I had looked into quality measures before I began the testing process and was so impressed as a patient and as a nurse,” Mary says.
Mary says her experience with all members of her care team were “exceptional.”
“Everything from where to park and what to bring on surgery day was crystal clear,” Mary says. “There were a lot of places to go and people to meet from my care team during this process, but my hand was held the whole time.”
Life After Donation
Mary only took two weeks off work after her donation surgery. Now, months after her procedure, she feels back to her normal self.
“A lot of people I talked to about my donation journey didn’t know that you could be middle-aged and donate a kidney,” Mary says.
When she is not working, Mary enjoys hiking, knitting, birdwatching, and spending time with her family, including her grandson, and three cats.
“I have never had a thought where I wished I hadn’t donated one of my kidneys,” Mary says. “The whole team was top-notch. They were all so prompt and thorough. If you are interested in living donation, absolutely go forward with it. Just consider it if you are healthy, so you can give back and save someone’s life. I have a new family member now because of this process.”
Mary’s treatment and results may not be representative of other cases.
