Living Kidney Donors

Steve

Age at interview: 67
Gender: Male
Outline: Steve donated his kidney to his brother thirteen years ago when he was 54 years old. Steve’s brother needed a kidney after having almost total kidney failure resulting from polycystic kidney disease. Steve’s recovery went very well following the procedure. He was a triathlete at the time of his donation, which made his body prepared to handle large amounts of stress. Steve was back in the pool training within 4 weeks and ran a 10k race within 10 weeks of his donation. Although Steve struggled with obtaining life insurance following his donation, he was very happy that he had the opportunity to make such an impact on his brother’s life and echoes that he would go through the surgery all over again if it meant saving his brother’s life.
Background: Steve is a 67-year-old White man who lives in an urban area in the southwestern United States.
Time Since Donation: 13 years

Type of Donation: Directed donation

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Steve gave his kidney to his brother.

Steve gave his kidney to his brother.

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My family has a history of bad kidneys. My brother, uhm, had polycystic kidney disease…And of course, the first thing he did was call me and say, "Go get an ultrasound," to make sure I didn't have it. And so that was about 10 years before we actually did the transplant. And he survived while he was going downhill that whole time. About 2008, early on, we uh, found out that his numbers were starting to drop a little more, and the doctor told him it was time to start considering either dialysis or transplant. And he called me.

 

Steve said his only regret is that he can’t give another kidney.

Steve said his only regret is that he can’t give another kidney.

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And since, I've- I’ve been watching the-the internet, and I've seen a whole bunch of stories like mine where people have stepped up, not necessarily for a family member, you know. Some-some teacher donated a kidney to a-a student's mother, you know. Those-those stories make me smile because it's nice to see that people are out there willing to go through the-the process. And it's a pretty horrendous process of donating a kidney. And, you know, my only regrets at this point is I can't join it- I can’t join any of those groups. I don't have another one to give.

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