Fourteen weeks after being part of the largest internal living-donor kidney transplant chain in Nebraska history, 18 people from different cities, states and backgrounds met face-to-face for the first time. The week of Feb. 27, nine patients received kidneys at Nebraska Medicine from nine living donors. Previously, the largest internal living-donor kidney transplant chain at Nebraska Medicine was a three-way exchange in July 2016.
This 18-person chain marks one of the largest single center kidney transplant chains involving a pediatric recipient in the United States. It’s also one of the largest single center kidney transplant chains performed in the U.S. in which none of the recipients were on hemodialysis (where a machine filters the patient’s blood outside their body). A 52-year-old Omaha woman, who wanted to donate her kidney in memory of a friend, started the chain.
Sue Venteicher, a wife, mother and grandmother, donated in memory of Michael Peters, who died in January at the age of 20. One month later, Venteicher donated her kidney to an anonymous recipient at Nebraska Medicine in honor of Peters.
Each year, the number of patients needing kidney transplantation increases while the number of deceased donors has remained about the same. If you’d like more information about becoming a living kidney donor, visit www.nebraskamed.com/kidneydonor.
