SAN ANTONIO -- Extraordinary operations are taking place in San Antonio. Surgeons are performing 16 kidney transplants as part of the world’s largest kidney exchange transplant chain.
Four operating rooms. 16 surgeries. 3 days. 16 people who need a new organ and 17 living donors are making history at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital. The donors weren’t compatible, but willing to give their kidneys to others in a huge swap.
“Something like this has never been done at a single center before,” explained transplant surgeon Dr. Adam Bingaman. “And certainly over three days makes it even truly more remarkable to get all this lined up.”
The patients range from age 63 down to the youngest, 17-year-old Samuel Smith from Vermont. He’s been on dialysis, diagnosed with a serious genetic kidney disease.
“It’s been very difficult,” Smith said, “with not feeling well, being tired afterwards. So it’s just definitely hard to get through that.”
Samuel’s older sister, Hannah, is giving her kidney to someone else so Samuel can get his. It’s an emotional day for his family.
“We never thought that we would have to come to Texas to find it, but here it is and so we came and we’re just very, very excited,” exclaimed Samuel’s mother, Nancy Smith.
A team of more than 100 people are involved in this history-making exchange that’s taken months of planning. Donors willing to pay it forward to someone they don’t even know make this innovative exchange possible.
“More than 4500 people die in the United States on the list every year waiting for a transplant that never comes,” Bingaman added.
Some of these donors are family. Others are close friends. Some patients are having a second or third transplant. All are grateful.
“I think it’s really cool,” Samuel Smith said.
Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital performed more living kidney donor transplants than any other hospital in the country in 2009.
