Andrea inherited polycystic kidney disease – nobody knew it ran in her family until her dad passed it on to 2 out of 3 of his children.

Her dad has received 2 transplants and her mother gave away one of her kidneys in the Kidney Paired Exchange program. Normally kidney patients first look to their immediate family when they need a new one. That did not work out for Andrea, her mom already having given a kidney and her siblings not eligible.

Andrea’s father-in-law Terry is a pretty straight shooter when it comes to donation. He has Type 0 negative blood (the universal donor) and recently had given his 155th blood donation. He decided to complete the donation assessment process and, if eligible, donate to the Kidney Paired Exchange so that Andrea would have a greater chance of getting the kidney she needed.

This story has a very happy ending. Even though he was willing to donate to a pool to help Andrea, Terry turned out to be an almost perfect match for her, and on October 16, 2019, the transplant took place. What an amazing gift to give to your daughter-in-law, and the mom of your grandson. Learn more about the Kidney Paired Donation Program at:

https://blood.ca/…/living-do…/kidney-paired-donation-program