Donors and recipients who participated in an 18-way 'chain' kidney transplant at got to meet one another for the first time during an emotional ceremony earlier this month at the UC Davis Medical Center campus in Sacramento.
Nine donors and nine recipients were part of the 'chain' kidney transplant, which was the largest-ever completed at UC Davis Health.
"We are here today to celebrate nine individuals who gave the biggest gift of their lives – a working organ," said Stephanie Baroni, a living donor transplant coordinator at the UC Davis Transplant Center.
The unusually large transplant chain was made possible through a protocol offered by UC Davis Health called paired kidney exchange.
When a living donor is unable to donate to an intended recipient due to an incompatibility of blood or tissue type, they have the option of giving the kidney to another recipient whose original match also turned out to be incompatible with the original donor. This way, the patients who can no longer use the kidney of their intended donor will benefit from the kidney of another donor and thus continue with the transplant instead of being placed on a long waiting list.
We are here today to celebrate nine individuals who gave the biggest gift of their lives - a working organ." -Stephanie Baroni
"Paired exchange has really changed the way kidney transplants work," said Yihung Huang, associate clinical professor of nephrology and official matchmaker of the paired kidney exchange program at UC Davis Health. "So many people need kidney transplants, but the pool of potential donors does not meet the need. It takes a special person to step forward and help someone live a better life."
The ceremony provided donors, recipients, friends, family members and the Transplant Center team with the opportunity to meet and share their stories, their experiences and, most importantly, their gratitude.
During the ceremony each of the donors and recipients were given the opportunity to reflect on their experiences. The common sentiment among all the donors was, "If I could give another kidney, I would."
A leader in organ transplants
Established in 1985, the UC Davis Transplant Center is a leader in the field of kidney living donor transplants.
From 2017 to 2022 the Transplant Center saw a 105% increase in donors facilitated and a 43% increase in lives saved, according to data from Sierra Donor Services, which serves as UC Davis Health's Organ Procurement Organization.
UC Davis Health is ranked above the national peer benchmark rate in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) performance metrics. The Transplant Center has a 92% rate for timely organ referral, a 90% rate for planned donation conversation and a 96% rate for maintaining donors.
"This data amplifies the expertise, dedication and compassion of every member of our transplant team, who work tirelessly every day to deliver the highest quality of patient care," said Sophoclis Alexopoulos, medical director for the Transplant Center.
To learn more about kidney transplants or how to become a donor, visit the Sierra Donor Services or UC Davis Transplant Center websites.
