In October 2020, a father in southern California received a donated kidney.
Meanwhile, 24-year-old Kristin Good rested in a recovery room with her dad by her side at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital (UCH).
Good didn’t know the man in California, but she gave him a life-saving gift – a healthy kidney. She became one of 145 “nondirected” donors at UCH since 2017 who have given a stranger an unparalleled gift, making the father in California one fewer person waiting for a life-saving transplant.
Living donors voluntarily donate an organ or tissue, such as a kidney or part of their liver, either directly to someone they know or indirectly to anyone who is a match.
In 2024, 7,030 people became living organ donors in the United States, contributing to more than 48,000 organ transplants. It’s an increase of 3.3% over 2023. Despite the record number of transplants, the waiting list continues to grow.
The waiting is the hardest part
“The biggest challenge we face is the organ shortage,” said Kendra Conzen, MD, associate professor of surgery-transplant at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
There are currently 103,000 people waiting for life-saving organs in the U.S. To close that gap, it would require performing nearly twice the number of transplants that were completed last year.
“Even though there have been a record number of transplants nationally and at our own institution in the last few years, it’s not enough,” Conzen said. “Unfortunately, there are not enough high-quality deceased donor organs to meet the need.”
Living donors such as Good are part of the solution.
Every eight minutes, another person is added to the donor waiting list. Each day, 13 people die while waiting.
Good’s calling to give
Good, now 29, works as a staff chaplain at UCH. She supports patients and families in several surgical departments and the emergency department, providing emotional, religious, ritual and spiritual support to patients facing a poor prognosis or going through end-of-life care.
“It’s a special job,” Good said. “In the hospital, there’s so much focus on the body, but I get to ask about how the rest of the person is doing.”
Good gives generously through her work and volunteerism. She first learned about living organ donors in college, after meeting a fellow student who was on dialysis for 12 hours a day.
“She’d been waiting for a long time because no one in her family was a match. She was feeling defeated. It impacted me to see how she was continuing to live her life but all the while, waiting for a call,” Good said.
The link between altruism and live organ donation
Since 2017, UCH has had 91 nondirected living kidney donors and 54 nondirected liver donors. Of these, 19 were double donors – donating both a kidney and part of a liver.
Research also demonstrates how non-directed living donors exhibit differences from typical people. Nondirected donors tend to view all people at the same emotional distance. “It means just as much to them to donate to someone they don't know as to donate to their own child,” Conzen said.
The Google search that led to donation
When the pandemic hit during 2020, Good noticed how quickly the people around her grew apprehensive to be around other people. During a difficult time where everyone was focused on self-protection, she wanted to stay aligned with her value of staying connected to people.
The need for living organ donors came back into her mind.
“I remember thinking, there’s a higher chance that I will get in a car accident driving home from work than ever needing my second kidney,” she said. “The more I learned about living donation, the more it made sense.”
So she Googled, “how to donate an organ in Colorado.” Information from the CU transplant team popped up.
Good followed the steps, which included forms, exams and testing. The evaluation had her confronting some tough questions, such as how she’d feel if her kidney was rejected. Or if the recipient didn’t take good care of the kidney or got in an accident two weeks later and died. What if her contribution was “for nothing?”
She concluded that she wasn’t donating to achieve a certain outcome.
“I hoped it would work out, more than anything, but I’d stand by what I chose to do no matter what the outcome,” Good said.
The donation process is rigorous, for good reason.
“The evaluation is aimed at protecting the donor and ensuring that we get a quality organ for the recipient,” Conzen said. “We’re not here to convince someone to donate. We’re here to ensure they have enough information to make the decision.”
The emotional roller coaster of “the call”
Once Good passed the evaluation, her blood was sent to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Within four days, her social worker called to let her know they’d found a match.
“It was all the emotions. The adrenaline, the excitement, but also the peace,” Good said. “And the sadness of it potentially not working out.”
It’s an emotional time for the transplant team as well.
“There are so many possibilities that can lead to ‘the call’ not coming to fruition. I've had liver transplant recipients get called in for surgery six or seven times before a deceased donor organ works out. It's heart wrenching,” Conzen said.
Care from a supportive team
Kristin was told that the person waiting for her kidney had been through a lot. He’d gone through a few rounds thinking he’d found a match.
Conzen acknowledges that some people on the list have a harder time finding a match, due to immunologic reasons, size or other concerns.
“For some patients, finding an immunologic match can be like finding a needle in a haystack. So the more people who come forward, the better. This increases the chances that we eventually find a donor who is compatible with the recipient,” Conzen said.
Good felt supported as the team wheeled her into surgery.
“I had a great experience with the whole thing, from start to finish. They made it very clear that at any point I could change my mind – even as they were wheeling me in. So I never felt pressure. Only support,” Good said.
Coming out of surgery, Good returned to the recovery room where her dad and best friend were waiting for her. Later that night, Good saw her surgeon, Trevor Nydam, MD, professor of surgery-transplant at CU Anschutz. He let her know that the recipient’s surgery had been successful.
They cried, together.
"Just one person can have a tremendous impact." – Kendra Conzen, MD
Recovery and a renewed outlook
The early days of recovery were rough, with pain and medications that made Good feel nauseated. But after six weeks, she was back to normal.
Conzen said the goal of the transplant team is to get everyone back to normal life as quickly as possible. But some donors take longer than anticipated to recover.
“We try to prepare potential donors that it can take three months to fully recover after donor surgery. Even with this recovery, most donors tell us they’d do it all over again,” Conzen said.
Good’s recovery from surgery has informed her work with patients at UCH, reminding her to linger a little longer at the bedside.
“I relax more; I settle in. I let myself just be with people and hear their stories. Every patient is unique, but there’s a similar language to it all. This experience has helped me to be present with them and understand the complexities,” Good said.
Reaching the highest outcome
For Conzen, seeing people thrive again is the best part of her work.
“Transplant is life-altering. Not just for the recipient, but for their entire social network. We see such a ripple effect through families and communities when someone can get transplanted and is able to carry on with their life,” she said.
It’s something she’d like to see happen for more transplant candidates and families.
“Nationally and in our region, deceased donor registration is decreasing, at a time when we need it to be increasing.”
But Conzen sees nondirected living donors such as Good and feels hope.
“Individuals can be extraordinarily generous and thoughtful. Just one person can have a tremendous impact,” Conzen said.
Six months after surgery, Good received a sweet letter from the recipient’s daughter telling her that he was doing well. The letter now hangs on her wall. She hopes her story will inspire people to recognize the worthiness of others and encourage people to give.
“Everyone’s calling is different. I don’t want anyone to read this and think that I believe everyone should donate an organ. If they feel moved to, great. If they feel moved to give their money, great. If they feel moved to volunteer at a soup kitchen, great. I think we need to be people that are willing to give to the people around us,” Good said.
Organ donation rates are higher in Colorado than other states. Why?
Conzen said there have been tremendous efforts to increase awareness about organ donation within Colorado and our region by our organ procurement organization, Donor Alliance. Also, efforts such as first-person authorization exist here, meaning anytime a Coloradan receives or renews a driver’s license, they can check a box that will automatically indicate their wish to be an organ donor if they die.
Another thing we have learned over the years is that just in general, people in Colorado tend to be very giving. They also tend to be healthier, which can lead to a higher usage of organs from potential donors.