Anne Hughes got word that her cousin and her cousin’s 16-year-old son Hamed had been medevaced from Benin in West Africa, where the family lived, to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. The teen was in late-stage kidney failure and needed immediate treatment. Anne rushed from her home in Connecticut to the hospital in Washington, D.C., where the doctor told Anne and her cousin that without a kidney transplant, the young man might die. But if they could find a living kidney donor, he would be able to get the lifesaving surgery he needed more quickly. This was a much better option as 17 people die each day waiting for a deceased donor kidney.
Without a second of hesitation, Anne volunteered to be evaluated as a potential donor. During the process of being evaluated, she learned about paired kidney exchange (where a kidney that isn’t appropriate for the initial patient is swapped for one that is, allowing multiple people to get a transplant).
“Even though I was hoping to be a match for Hamed, I signed up to be part of a paired kidney exchange if needed,” Anne says. “If I wasn’t a match, a paired exchange would not only help Hamed get the kidney he needed: it would also help many other people waiting for a kidney.”
Adds Steven Potter, MD, a kidney and pancreas transplant surgeon within our MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute, “We have one of the largest paired kidney exchange programs in the nation. People who might not otherwise get a kidney transplant have the opportunity to do so through this program. Living donation and paired kidney exchange literally save lives every day.”
After undergoing a series of tests, Anne learned that she and Hamed were indeed a match and that she was healthy enough to donate her kidney. “Throughout the whole evaluation process, my health was prioritized,” she says. “If any test suggested that I would need both kidneys to be healthy in the future, I would not have been a candidate. I really felt that I was in good hands with the medical team and my surgeon at MedStar Georgetown. The care I received was excellent.”
The surgery went well for both Anne and Hamed. Anne was feeling well and discharged from the hospital the day after her donation surgery. And Hamed is now 23 and healthy.
Anne, who is now a state legislator in Connecticut representing the 135th House District, has become a vocal advocate of living kidney donation. Not only does she share her donation story, she also was instrumental in passing legislation that expands paid family medical leave in her state to provide coverage for transplant donors and recipients, something she did not have when she donated.
“Paid leave makes it feasible for more people to become living donors and save more lives,” she says.
“I want to inspire as many people as possible to consider becoming living donors,” Anne adds. “It’s a rare opportunity to save someone’s life.”
Give the gift of life. Be a living kidney donor. Call 202-444-3714, or click here to learn more about living donation.