https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/08/19/meet-the-evanston-mom-who-started-donor-chain-that-led-to-ethan-carpenters-kidney-transplant/ (https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/08/19/meet-the-evanston-mom-who-started-donor-chain-that-led-to-ethan-carpenters-kidney-transplant/)
Meet the Evanston mom who started donor chain that led to Ethan Carpenter's kidney transplant
by Wendi Kromash (https://evanstonroundtable.com/author/wendi-kromash/)
Carolyn Read, a palliative care nurse practitioner who lives in Evanston, is the donor who started the chain that ultimately connected Ethan Carpenter to his ideal match. Read was inspired to donate after reading a 2025 RoundTable article (https://evanstonroundtable.com/2025/07/03/1-ethan-carpenter-kidney-disease/).
Derrick and Marie-Paule, Ethan's parents, were told that after the story ran, about 90 people were screened.
A great surgical experience
Read's surgery took place on July 16 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and she went home the following day. Ultimately Read's kidney went to a man in his 40s or 50s for whom her kidney was a perfect match.
On the phone, she was eager to discuss her surgery.
"Look at how great I feel. And this is two weeks out. Imagine where I'll be six months out. Like they say, a lot of people get healthier because then you start really paying attention," she said.
What made Read pursue donation?
"The story about Ethan came out in the RoundTable last year, and that was where I read it. And I was like, 'Well, why not try? He's 18, he's otherwise really healthy, and has a whole life in front of him. How could I not at least try?' " said Read. It turned out that Read and Marie-Paule, Ethan's mom, knew each other casually through the booster board at ETHS, but Read hadn't made the connection when she began her donor journey.
Financial assistance for donors
"The state of Illinois mandates that the employer pays an organ donor for two full weeks without them having to take any paid time off, sick time, leave of absence, anything like that. So, the first two weeks of my pay are full pay based on the state of Illinois' law, which is huge, right?" Read said.
"But it's so important for people to know there are ways to fund this," she said. She worked with the National Living Donor Assistance Center (https://www.livingdonorassistance.org/)to find resources and assistance. In addition to the state-mandated two weeks off, Read activated her short-term disability policy through her employer, which pays a percentage of her salary. Short-term disability policies usually pay 60 to 80% of a weekly paycheck, depending on one's employer.
"They [NLDAC] are giving me that percentage that I'm not getting, so they're making my paycheck whole for those three weeks that I'm on disability or short-term disability," Read said. She will take one week of paid time off.
"The association also pays for mileage, parking. If you have to fly somewhere to donate, if you need to stay in a hotel, if your caregiver needs food while they're waiting for you or while you're in the hospital, they pay for all sorts of stuff, and it makes this whole thing so much more doable. I think they can give up to $6,000 per donor," she said.
"If I had more kidneys, I would do it again."