Living Donation Stories

Bakersfield, CA Living Kidney Donor “Seeing the change it made in his life is such a blessing.” I was driving home from the airport after being out of the country for three weeks. I called my husband and after we … Continue reading →

Avila Beach, CA Living Kidney Donor “Maybe I couldn’t change the world but I could change one person’s world.” When I went back to college at age 48, I never expected the biggest lesson would be one that couldn’t be … Continue reading →

Sacramento, CA Kidney Recipient “It felt unbelievable to know that someone who didn’t know me would give me such a gift.” For Darrell Neal, kidney disease has been a lifelong battle that began when he was just a child. Decades … Continue reading →

Newport Beach, CA Living Kidney Donor “Living donation is a blessing for both donor and recipient!” On January 1, 2013 I sat in my living room and enjoyed the Rose Parade with my family. As I watched the organ donation float with donors … Continue reading →

Chino, CA Living Kidney Donor “It was a no-brainer.” Michael Cervantes’ brother John suffered kidney problems from an early age, including surgery at age 14 for bilateral kidney stone removal. “I was a junior in high school, not yet 16,” … Continue reading →

Santa Monica, CA Living Kidney Recipient “People say I should be thankful for her kidney. I say I am thankful for her heart.” That incredibly good-looking boy in the picture is my son. The day he was born was the … Continue reading →

Orange County, CA Living Kidney Donor “Be good humans!” Los Angeles Radio DJ Brian Phelps always signs off the air with “BE GOOD HUMANS!” I try to live by this every day. In February of 2010, after suffering from kidney … Continue reading →

Montclair, CA Living Kidney Donor “To give someone a second chance at a normal life is an amazing feeling.” I was given the opportunity to donate a kidney to my husband, Joseph Vasquez. My husband has polycystic kidney disease (PKD) … Continue reading →

Clovis, CA Living Kidney Donor “I felt that God was working on me to do something extraordinary.” Max Zapata (center in picture), one of 11 siblings, was born to Mike and Luz Zapata. He grew up in Selma, California in … Continue reading →

San Diego, CA Living Kidney Donor “I wanted to free someone so they could live life.” Lorena Rodriguez is no stranger to the challenges that kidney failure patients endure. She works at a medical office in San Diego that focuses … Continue reading →

Petaluma, CA Living Kidney Donor “The recipient can be a more active father again.” “I wake up sometimes and think, ‘Did I really give a kidney to someone?’” said Pastor Jeff Smith of the Living Word Lutheran Church in Petaluma. … Continue reading →

Canoga Park, CA Living Kidney Donor “I’ll give your husband a kidney.” In 1996, Hooshang Torabi’s wife, Karen, was hospitalized with a mysterious illness that caused her to slip into a seemingly irreversible coma. Much to everyone’s surprise, Karen awoke … Continue reading →

San Francisco, CA Living Kidney Donor “I am in good health, so why not?” “Everyone deserves a working kidney,” says Roland. And the Northern California resident has done his part in helping out. A part-time UCSF clinical nurse who holds … Continue reading →