Living kidney donors and transplant patients honored by UCI Health
Families who supported them also celebrated at event
IN THE NEWS: UCI Health recently celebrated 40 living kidney donors, 40 transplant recipients and their loved ones. The health system, home to the largest kidney transplant program in Orange County, honored the generosity of living kidney donors, the strength and resilience of transplant recipients, and the families who supported them on every step of the journey.
Kidney transplant patient Karen Patterson spoke with NBC 4 Los Angeles about how she’s feeling after her transplant.
“During my transplant surgery, both of my kidneys were removed because they were in such poor condition…I’m now feeling fabulous. I’m so happy to be here to share my story and celebrate kidney donation.”
Living donor Denise Salazar spoke with ABC 7 about her decision to make the gift of life.
“I became a living donor because my brother was ill. I knew that I needed to do anything I could to help him.”
Kidney transplant patient Mark Maselli spoke about the important role that the transplant community has played in his recovery.
“I think it’s special to be part of a community that shares the same experience as me.”
One in seven adults have kidney disease, yet 90% don’t know it, according to the National Kidney Foundation. More than 90,000 people are on the kidney transplant wait list and 12 individuals die each day waiting for an organ.
A person diagnosed with kidney failure or end-stage renal disease has two options: dialysis or transplant. While dialysis can prolong life, waiting for an organ from a deceased individual to become available can take up to 10 years. Receiving a transplant from a living donor can reduce the wait time and improve overall quality of life and life expectancy.
Living kidney donation can occur in several ways:
- A donation from a relative or loved one whose blood and tissue type is compatible with yours
- A relative or loved one donates to someone who is a match, and you receive a kidney from another matching donor, in what is called a paired exchange
- Someone donates a kidney anonymously to anyone who may need it, called a non-directed donation
Learn more about the UCI Health Kidney Transplant Program.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).