My Kidney Donation Story: Kelly Haefs
Here is my roller coaster kidney donation story, filled with faith and hope and joy. In early December 2021, my good friend and neighbor started dialysis. On December 14, I called his transplant hospital (Froedtert) to find out how I could be his living donor. After a series of tests, I was approved as a donor in April 2022.
On May 26, 2022, I was told I was a match for my neighbor! Although I was not a “perfect match,” as he has type A blood and I have type B, he did not have many antibodies to type B, and with antirejection drugs, I was told it could work.
After this joyful news, we found out that Froedtert’s kidney surgeon would be leaving in 10 days, so they wanted to fast-track the surgery. My coordinator called my neighbor and told him they had found a donor, but I was allowed the honor of telling him it was me. We celebrated that weekend, Facetiming with family and friends to share the news.
Unfortunately, a few days later we were told that they could NOT fast track it and that it would be several months before a new surgeon would be hired and ready to go. We quickly plummeted down the roller coaster ride.
Although another center told us they could fast-track the transplant, they would need to reevaluate us, and there was no guarantee that their board would consider me as a match. So we decided to wait it out.
Meanwhile, my neighbor started developing breathing problems, and it was discovered that his heart was failing. He had a defibrillator placed in February 2023, but his heart function continued to decline. When it was down to 25% functionality, he was told he may need a heart and kidney transplant, which would need to come from a single deceased donor.
By now, although there was a new transplant team up and running at Froedtert, he was not healthy enough to receive a kidney.
In December 2023, his heart function was back up to 38% thanks to new medications and cardiac rehab. In early January 2024, the medical team decided to proceed with the kidney transplant, hoping that a new kidney would help his heart improve. Hallelujah! Back to the top of the roller coaster!
I was reevaluated in January 2024, but my coordinator warned me that the new team might have different criteria for donors, and my friend’s body may have changed in the past two years, so I needed to consider a paired donation or voucher donation through the National Kidney Registry, where I would donate on his behalf and the NKR would find a matching donor for him and a matching recipient for me. I was willing.
I was cleared as a donor on January 26, and the team decided that the Voucher Program was the best option due to my neighbor’s failing health. They would only have considered me as a direct donor if I had been a perfect match.
On February 9, I was notified that they had found a match for my kidney and asked if March 5 would work as a surgery date. The next day I told my neighbor the good news.
Sadly, the March 5 surgery was canceled, and we were back to square one. We were so disappointed. But then the next day they called and said they had another match, and surgery was scheduled for March 27.
For the next few weeks, we kept this news between our families so as not to “get anyone else’s hopes up.” I wore a mask everywhere I went, hoping to avoid catching anything that might affect the timing of surgery. Despite all my precautions, two days before the surgery I got a UTI—the first in my life. Thankfully, an antibiotic was prescribed, and the surgery could proceed.
Everything went well during my surgery, and I was taken to recovery at about 10:30 am. I was sedated and on pain medications throughout that day. I vomited several times that afternoon and was taken off all oral fluids for the rest of the evening. I took a short walk that afternoon with my IV pole. My coordinator stopped by to let me know that my neighbor has been activated with the NKR and there were many potential matches out there for him. Such wonderful news!
By the next morning, I was able to keep down clear liquids and a regular diet and went home at 4 p.m. that day. The first week at home was the toughest. I was very sore and needed assistance getting up and down from a seated or lying down position. I had one more day of not being able to keep food down, but by the end of that first week I was feeling SO much better. I could sit and stand for longer periods and was down to taking three to four Tylenol every 24 hours. I needed Tramadol a couple times, but only the first two days at home.
On April 2, we got the amazing news that a kidney had been found for my neighbor. He had a successful transplant on April 30 with a kidney from an anonymous 41-year-old.
I continued to heal, day by day. I was able to take longer walks around my neighborhood and do more things for myself. By three months post op, I was feeling like my old self. All the waiting and ups and downs of the journey were so worth it in the end, knowing that my friend and neighbor received a new chance at life. I give all thanks to God for being there alongside us throughout this journey. In the end, I know that all glory is His and this was how it was meant to be. I hope that this journey teaches others how to love thy neighbors, even if they are not giving a part of themselves away to show that love.
About the Author
Kelly Haefs lives in Plymouth, Wisconsin, the “Cheese Capital of the World.” She has been a dental hygienist for 33 years. She enjoys spending time with her husband of 33 years, Scott, and their two adult children. She enjoys traveling, gardening, hiking, biking and kayaking. She enjoys volunteering for her church and in the community. Kelly was named “Woman of the Year” by the Plymouth Professional Businesswomen’s group in 2011 for all her volunteer efforts.