https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/health/2026/04/27/national-kidney-foundation-holds-event-to-educate-people-on-becoming-a-living-organ-donor

National Kidney Foundation holds event to educate people on becoming a living organ donor
The National Kidney Foundation held an event Sunday in Irondequoit to inform people about how they can become a living organ donor.
Doctors say there are a lot of people who are unaware of the process of donating an organ. But one local doctor and a living organ donor both compare the process to donating blood. 
"So I think they just don't understand what the process is," said Dr. Jeremy Taylor, transplant director of nephrology at the University of Rochester. "You know, people know about donating blood, but they don't know about donating organs and I think it's something a lot of people can do."
Living kidney donation has traditionally had excellent outcomes for both the donor and the recipient.
According to a study published in JAMA, fewer than 1 in 10,000 donors die within three months of surgery. More than 98% of kidneys from living donors are still functioning one year after the procedure, according to Stanford Health Care. Living donor kidneys generally provide better long-term survival for recipients compared to deceased donor kidneys.

https://www.avera.org/news-media/news/2026/living-donor-employees/

Avera Supports Living Donor Employees

Avera Health is proud to announce they have joined the Living Donor Circle of Excellence. This program, an initiative of the American Society of Transplantation (AST) celebrates employers that provide salary support to their employees who choose to be a living organ donor.
"In keeping with Avera's mission and beliefs, we uphold human dignity, protect life and promote the common good, that includes the willingness to be a living donor," said Kim Jensen, Chief Human Resources Officer at Avera. "Avera's benefits include expanded leave pay to support our employees who choose to donate."
"As a health care system that offers solid organ transplant, we know the incredible difference transplant makes in the lives of our patients," said Glen Geditz, Director of the Avera Transplant Institute.
John Gill, MD, Founder of the Living Donor Circle of Excellence said, "Living donors are heros amongst us, their gift is lifesaving for patients in need of a kidney or liver transplant and has a huge positive impact on society. Patients facing life-threatening diseases are able to live normal lives, raise their families, and participate in their communities. By supporting living organ donors, we are also building stronger communities."
Today, more than 100,000 patients are waiting for a lifesaving kidney or liver transplant. Of the transplants performed in 2021, living donors accounted for 24% of kidney transplants and 6% of liver transplants. Financial disincentives are a barrier for many potential living organ donors. Living organ donation typically includes a four- to six-week recovery period and many will use their vacation time or take unpaid absences during this period to donate.
The Circle encourages other employers to help people in need of lifesaving organ transplants. You can learn more about AST's Living Donor Circle of Excellence here.

And update, the urologist was most correct, it's appearently within natural variation and testing error. Back to 1.1. Hurrah!

https://livingdonorsonline.org/donor-experiences/donation-anniversaries/

Happy May, all! May the Fourth be with you! Viva Cinco de Mayo! We hope this finds you well and celebrating! So many folks this month remembering decisions made, risks faced, and outcomes lived with, including me and my recipient! We had dinner together recently and marveled at the twenty-three years since our surgeries and twenty-five years since her spouse asked my spouse to proofread an appeal letter for their congregation. We're all retired now, enjoying the successes of our children. All our lives are immeasurably richer and more meaningful for sharing the modern medical miracle of living donor transplantation.

It may be nearly seventy-five years since this surgery first succeeded, but culturally it still seems a new part of our human experience that we're still trying to figure out. Do you all feel the same way? Are you celebrating? Remembering with enduring grief? Struggling with long term complications?

Please do consider adding your own anniversary if you haven't already. Instructions are at https://livingdonorsonline.org/donor-experiences/donation-anniversaries/


Thirty-third anniversary:
Kay donated a kidney to her sister Penny on May 27th, 1993

Thirty-first anniversary:
Patty Mazzola donated a kidney to her father, Angelo, at MGH on May 23rd, 1995

Thirtieth anniversary:
Katy Moyer donated a kidney to her mother, Kris McCallum, on May 8th, 1996
Laura Robinson donated a kidney to her father on May 9th, 1996

Twenty-seventh anniversary:
Monique Martin donated a kidney to her niece on May 7th, 1999

Twenty-fifth anniversary:
Pauline Snyder donated part of her liver to her sister on May 2nd, 2001
Bryan Urmetz donated a kidney to his brother on May 5th, 2001

Twenty-fourth anniversary:
Paul J. Fuller donated part of his liver to his father on May 7th, 2002
Terri Craft donated a kidney to her stepfather on May 14th, 2002
Lisa Georges donated a kidney to her spouse on May 24th, 2002

Twenty-third anniversary:
Debi Ashley-Shaw donated a kidney to a friend on May 1st, 2003
Betty Minton donated a kidney to her mother on May 7th, 2003
John Hodges donated his left kidney to Margo Zelermyer on May 8th, 2003
Tina Hayman donated a kidney to her father on May 12th, 2003
Gigi Snyder donated a kidney to her son, Michael, on May 14th, 2003
Kris Wymenga donated a kidney to an unrelated recipient on May 16th, 2003
Debby Rappe donated a kidney to her sister on May 21st, 2003
Dawn Chandler donated a kidney to her brother on May 28th, 2003

Twenty-second anniversary:
D. Patrick Dewey donated a kidney to his brother on May 4th, 2004
Pete Ramirez donated a kidney to his fiance, Connie Martinez, on May 4th, 2004

Twenty-first anniversary:
Helen Smunt donated a kidney to her daughter on May 2nd, 2005
Rob Halverson donated a kidney to a stranger on May 9th, 2005
Daniel Griffiths donated a kidney to an unrelated recipient on May 17th, 2005
Melissa Semione donated a kidney to a stranger on May 17th, 2005

Twentieth anniversary:
Chris McDonough donated a kidney on May 4th, 2006, to a man he didn't meet until after being tested for compatibility
Christine Shedrick donated part of her liver to her sister-in-law on May 4th, 2006
Nancy Shotland donated a kidney to an unrelated person on May 4th, 2006
Julie Sutton donated a kidney to her brother on May 5th, 2006
Barbara donated a kidney to her daughter on May 11th, 2006
Brenda Joy Hubbard Oates donated a kidney to her brother, David M. Hubbard, on May 11th, 2006
Elise Romero donated a kidney to her dad on May 17th, 2006
John P. McGuinness donated a kidney to a stranger, Helen Taranto, which started a three way transfer, on May 31st, 2006

Nineteenth anniversary:
Timothy Cullen donated part of his liver to his brother on May 1st, 2007
Vicki Stronge donated a kidney to her father on May 2nd, 2007
Melanie Hall donated a kidney to her daughter on May 3rd, 2007
Joe Steward donated a kidney to a friend on May 16th, 2007

Eighteenth anniversary:
Billy donated a kidney to his mother, Anne, on May 6th, 2008
Amanda Smith donated a kidney to her aunt, Sherry Figgins, on May 9th, 2008
Jennifer Fenimore donated a kidney to her Mom on May 13th, 2008
Phillip Berry donated a kidney to a friend on May 15th, 2008
William Ransom donated a kidney to his father-in-law, Ernie Beabes, on May 15th, 2008
Steve Estlund donated a kidney to his Uncle Paul on May 21st, 2008

Seventeenth anniversary:
Laura Ranzenberger donated part of her liver to her sister, Carolyn Eversole, on May 4th, 2009
Kelly Wawrzyniakowski donated a kidney to her friend's daughter, 3 year old Mira, on May 13th, 2009

Sixteenth anniversary:
Melissa Temple donated a kidney to her aunt, Pam Libby, on May 4th, 2010
Debbie Heimlich Heffley donated a kidney to her mom on May 21st, 2010

Fifteenth anniversary:
Ann E. Parker donated a kidney to a friend, James Blank, on May 10th, 2011
Sarah donated her left kidney to younger sister, Kaylah, on May 10th, 2011
Sara George donated a kidney to her sister, Molly, on May 12th, 2011
Amy Bove donated a kidney to her little brother, Nathan Wilcox, on May 24th, 2011
Josh Perkins made a non-directed kidney donation on May 24th, 2011

Fourteenth anniversary:
Ray Nelson donated a kidney to his nephew, Zakry Miller, on May 7th, 2012
Alexandra Redenius donated a kidney to Steve Ferkau, an unrelated person, on May 8th, 2012
Peggy Fischer donated a kidney to her daughter, Breanna, on May 8th, 2012
Liz Nicholson donated a kidney to Jeff on May 10th, 2012
Vickie Garrett donated a kidney to her friend, Teresa Dixon, on May 14th, 2012
Donna Thomas donated a kidney to an unrelated person, Joe Gordon, on May 16th, 2012
Rebecca Palacio donated a kidney to her aunt on May 23rd, 2012

Thirteenth anniversary:
Martin Hubbard donated a kidney to his daughter, Karen, on May 2nd, 2013
June Irving donated a kidney to her daughter, Alison Brown, on May 15th, 2013
Cyndi Kahn donated a kidney to her friend, Luther L., on May 24th, 2013
Athena Overstreet donated a kidney to Tera O'Brien, her cousin's wife, on May 28th, 2013

Eleventh anniversary:
Estephanie Zuniga donated a kidney to her husband, Max, on May 1st, 2015
Charmin Heimer donated a kidney to her  sister's husband's brother, David Hutzel, on May 19th, 2015
Christine Arnemann donated a kidney to Andi Ribera, an unrelated person, on May 20th, 2015
Tenth anniversary:
Tessa Demers donated a kidney to her best friend, Caitlyn Lambert-Hutchinson, on May 16th, 2016
Frank Hodowal donated a kidney to his wife, Wendy, on May 26th, 2016
Krista Romer-McCarthy donated a kidney to an unknown person on May 26th, 2016

https://livingdonorsonline.org/donor-experiences/donation-anniversaries/

Below is a link to a 30-minute documentary ('A Perfect Gift') that my husband and I produced. The film features our close friend, Andy (a 40 year old man from England), who asked my husband to support him in his attempt to donate his kidney to Rich, a man in his 60's from the U.S., suffering from stage-four kidney disease.

The film follows Andy and Rich before, during and after their donation, providing an important window into the journey of a living donor and their recipient as they navigate the process of a gift-of-life transplant.

Please take a moment to watch it, and share it with your friends and contacts so that more people become aware of what being a donor can mean for people in need. Many more people die from kidney failure than is necessary. We can impact those statistics.

https://youtu.be/TVqyl006PLY

https://livingdonorsonline.org/donor-experiences/donation-anniversaries/

We hope you all took a moment on April 1st to remember National Living Donor Day! Extraordinary we have our own holiday, though I wonder about the move from April 11th to April 1st. What do you think? Happy anniversary to all celebrating, and of course we know not everyone has happy memories to celebrate. Our best wishes for heart's ease to you all. We have all tried to make another's life better, and grappled with the chance we might not succeed. Again, we're so sorry if you're still suffering. Take good care.

Consider joining our calendar celebrants! Full instructions are on our calendar page, https://livingdonorsonline.org/donor-experiences/donation-anniversaries/

Thank you all!

Thirty-ninth anniversary:
Andrew Drukker donated a kidney to his sister, Sue, on April 10th, 1987

Thirty-sixth anniversary:
Chris Tomola donated a kidney to his brother on April 25th, 1990

Thirty-fourth anniversary:
Tony Fagan donated a kidney to his sister on April 8th, 1992
James D. Breyer donated a kidney to his sister, Susan K. Starcher, on April 22nd, 1992

Thirtieth anniversary:
Michalene J Dischinger donated a kidney to his sister, Judith Cleveland, on April 3rd, 1996

Twenty-ninth anniversary:
Dan donated a kidney to his daughter on April 4th, 1997
Barbara Day donated a kidney to her husband on April 9th, 1997
Christine Rowe donated a kidney to her nephew on April 10th, 1997

Twenty-seventh anniversary:
Stacey donated a kidney to her aunt, Cheryl, on April 1st, 1999
Daniel Lasater donated part of his liver to his sister on April 7th, 1999

Twenty-sixth anniversary:
Brent Jensen donated a kidney to his wife on April 6th, 2000
Rachel Bennett donated a kidney to her sister on April 27th, 2000

Twenty-fifth anniversary:
Marco Regnier donated a kidney to his cousin on April 11th, 2001
Kimberly Tracy donated a kidney to her nephew on April 12th, 2001
Lisa Clare donated a kidney to her cousin on April 23rd, 2001

Twenty-fourth anniversary:
Michelle Desler donated a kidney to her brother on April 2nd, 2002
Duchess Freeman donated a kidney to her husband on April 4th, 2002
Carol Bullard donated part of her liver to her sister on April 8th, 2002

Twenty-third anniversary:
Michael Weil donated a kidney to his nephew on April 1st, 2003
Timothy A. Kimbirk donated a kidney to his son, Timothy B. Kimbirk, on April 16th, 2003
Father Jim Falsey donated a kidney to a stranger on April 21st, 2003
Dolores Barquera donated a kidney to her daughter on April 24th, 2003
Angela Rennick donated a kidney to her uncle on April 25th, 2003
Michele Walker donated a kidney to her son on April 30th, 2003

Twenty-second anniversary:
Hillary Greene donated lung tissue to an unrelated person on April 7th, 2004
Howard Meyerson donated two lung lobes to his sister on April 7th, 2004
Jeani Vance donated a kidney to her sister on April 16th, 2004

Twenty-first anniversary:
Melissa Breen donated part of her liver to her father on April 5th, 2005

Twentieth anniversary:
Diane donated a kidney to a stranger on April 6th, 2006
Fernando Torre donated a kidney to his wife on April 26th, 2006
Lisa K. donated a kidney to her brother on April 27th, 2006

Nineteenth anniversary:
Patty Mack donated a kidney to her brother on April 12th, 2007
Peter G donated a kidney to his father on April 12th, 2007
Alexandria Holmes donated a kidney to a friend's mother on April 18th, 2007
Tom Simon donated a kidney to a stranger on April 19th, 2007
Jenny Bokeno donated a kidney to her brother, Darin, on April 23rd, 2007

Eighteenth anniversary:
Brooke Bowen donated a kidney to her cousin on April 16th, 2008

Seventeenth anniversary:
Kristen McLoughlin donated a kidney to a stranger, Cynthia Jacobson, now a friend, on April 15th, 2009
Veronica Rivas donated a kidney to her mother, Esperanza Alcauter, on April 23rd, 2009

Sixteenth anniversary:
Sabrina St-Hilaire donated a kidney to her uncle, Luc, on April 20th, 2010
Patricia Ahearn donated a kidney through a NEPKE 4 way swap to benefit her husband on April 26th, 2010
Dr. Ekta Singh donated a kidney to Rajkumar, her father-in-law, on April 28th, 2010

Fifteenth anniversary:
Amy Donohue donated a kidney to Anu (Tiny Mom) Dwivedi on April 19th, 2011

Fourteenth anniversary:
Johnny donated in a National Kidney Registry chain to benefit his girlfriend on April 3rd, 2012
Ray Mueller made a non-directed kidney donation April 3rd, 2012, through the National Kidney Registry
Michael Green donated a kidney to his friend, Trudy Thompson-Larkins, on April 6th, 2012
Jacqui donated a kidney to her brother on April 19th, 2012
Kris Madden donated a kidney to her cousin on April 19th, 2012
Shelly Pattinson donated a kidney to her brother, Curtis Phillips, on April 19th, 2012
Suzie donated a kidney to her friend, Kevin, on April 19th, 2012
Janice Gildow made a non-directed kidney donation on April 20th, 2012
Stephanie donated a kidney to her Dad on April 24th, 2012. Unfortunately, despite her gift working well, he passed away a month later.
Barbara Altizer donated a kidney to her friend, Nicole Hickey, on April 26th, 2012

Thirteenth anniversary:
Don Kraemer donated a kidney to a Canadian paired exchange on behalf of his wife, Lori, on April 3rd, 2013 
Kevin Bernheisel donated a kidney to William Johnson, his sister's father-in-law, on April 4th, 2013
Laura Davis donated a kidney to her co-worker, Jenny DeLorenzo, on April 4th, 2013
Ashlee Edwards donated a kidney to her cousin on April 10th, 2013
Trudi Fenzel donated a kidney to her sister-in-law on April 11, 2013
Ayushi Datta donated a kidney to her mother, Anuradha, on April 15th, 2013
Ruth Crouch Watson donated a kidney to her 17 year old niece on April 15th, 2013
Jennifer Williams donated a kidney to her Dad, Leon, on April 16th, 2013
Anni Hanson donated a kidney to her friend, Eric Frahm, on April 23rd, 2013
Joseph Hoofnagle donated a kidney to his father, Martin, on March 29th, 2013. Martin passed away one and a half years later.

Twelfth anniversary:
Luis Carlos Roblejo donated a kidney to his pastor, Fr. Philip Fabiano, on April 7th, 2014
Becky Cox donated a kidney to her brother, BJ Benton, on April 11th, 2014

First anniversary:
Emily Gentile made a non-directed kidney donation to a stranger on April 1st, 2025

https://livingdonorsonline.org/donor-experiences/donation-anniversaries/

FYI, this has turned personal recently. After 22 years of 1.1 or 1.2 creatinine and GFR > 60, my physical last fall included a 1.3 creatinine and 55 GFR. In the five months since my PCP decided to go ultra cautious, I've seen my urologist and a new nephrologist, three more blood draws and two more urinalyses. Creatinine is holding steady at 1.3, GFR is back above 60, and urine is normal. PCP and nephrologist want regular follow-up, urologist says, "You just turned 67. These are great numbers for someone with two kidneys. If we see a spiking trend, that'll be an issue." From my viewpoint, I'm already seeing both PCP and urologist regularly, now I have a nephrologist, too. I feel fine and am unworried. May you have as good fortune.

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/michigan-enacts-living-donor-10000-tax-credit

Michigan enacts living donor $10,000 tax credit
By Ingrid Kelley


The Brief

• • Starting with the 2025 tax year, when you give the gift of life, such as through a liver or kidney donation.
  • This tax credit covers un-reimbursed expenses like lost wages, travel and hotel expenses, and childcare costs for qualifying organ donations made on or after Jan. 1, 2025.

...

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/new-kensington-woman-living-donor-donation/

Pittsburgh-area woman donates liver to coworker's mom: "How could I not?"
By Chris Hoffman

A New Kensington woman in need of a liver transplant found a living donor in an unexpected source: her daughter's coworker.
Without really knowing the recipient, the donor knew the pain the family was going through and wanted to help in the most selfless way possible.
Jaylynne Kemerly and Dr. Brianna Bayer are now forever connected.
"We're liver buddies," Bayer laughed.
Kemerly was diagnosed with a liver disease in 2007 that slowly damages the liver. She says in the past couple of years, between the pain, iron transfusions, blood transfusions and stomach bleeding, her quality of life became miserable.
"I was spending more time at a hospital, or I was in bed," Kemerly remembered.
Her daughter works with Bayer at an AHN facility in Cheswick.
"I know how close they are, so I had a firsthand seat to watching through her daughter's eyes the decline in her health and how hard that was on her and her family," Bayer said.
After Kemerly got on the transplant list and found out no family members were a match, Bayer stepped up while living a busy life as a doctor with four kids.
"My thought was just 'how could you not?' How could you not take that chance to help somebody?" Bayer said.
Kemerly and Bayer matched and after a bout with cancer, Kemerly was able to get her transplant on Aug. 11 last year at Allegheny General Hospital. Surgeons took about two-thirds of Bayer's liver.
"She's a wonderful person. She's my miracle," Kemerly said.
Now more than six months later, both are doing fine. Kemerly's body has accepted the transplant and Bayer's liver grew back. While Bayer is humble, saying she was just trying to help someone, Kemerly is beyond grateful for a new chance in life.
"She gave me more time with my husband and family, my grandkids. I'm so thankful," Kemerly said.
"What more could you ask for? And what greater gift could you give somebody?" Bayer said.  
"I may not be standing here without her," Kemerly replied.

Amanda's listing is new this past month and she sent along media links to some of the coverage she's experienced since:

https://abcnews4.com/features/lowcountry-woman-donates-part-of-liver-to-pediatric-patient-in-honor-of-family-friend-wciv-abc-news-4-network-for-hope-organ-donation-amanda-graham-liver-cancer

https://www.live5news.com/2025/04/11/helping-save-lives-push-more-living-organ-donors/

https://www.redcross.org/local/south-carolina/about-us/news-and-events/news/giving-pieces-of-herself-to-help-others--red-cross-blood-donor-d.html

https://www.wvxu.org/show/cincinnati-edition/2025-12-18/living-donors-liver-portion