Donor Diaries
Donor Diaries is a podcast that delves into the beauty and complexity of living organ donation. Tune in to hear extraordinary stories of people who choose to share their organs and give the gift of life. The world of kidney and organ donation is a powerful testament to kindness, love, and the human spirit. With over 90,000 individuals on the kidney transplant waitlist and about 13 people dying each day while waiting, the urgency is real. One in three Americans is at risk for chronic kidney disease, and one in nine already suffers from it, often unknowingly. Donor Diaries offers unfiltered narratives from living donors and candid insights from transplant experts, aiming to elevate the conversation around organ donation. Our goal is to bring this crucial issue to the forefront, so no patient has to wait in vain or suffer needlessly.
Episodes
What if a simple HR policy could help save someone’s life? In this episode, Brooke Iarkowski, Transplant Community Program Manager at the American Society of Transplantation, shares how paid leave transforms the living donor journey from a financial gamble into a supported reality. Brooke brings over ten years of experience in the transplant and donation field and a deeply personal connection to the mission. Witnessing b...
One kidney can change many lives—if we let it start a chain. We sit down with Dr. John Friedewald, transplant nephrologist at Northwestern Medicine, to unpack a breakthrough: using a deceased donor kidney to initiate a living donor chain that moves multiple recipients off the waitlist and ultimately delivers a living kidney back to a service member at Walter Reed.
We break down how kidney paired donation works, ...
In this episode of Donor Diaries, we sit down with transplant recipient Wilson Du and living kidney donor Amy McCann, two people whose stories intertwine through determination, community, and the belief that choosing life is a daily practice.
Wilson spent five and a half years on dialysis before receiving his transplant in 2022. After a doctor told him he needed to lose 100 pounds or forget about a transplant, he confront...
Sue Rees returns to share the revolutionary donor protections offered by the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation (APKD) that are making kidney donation more accessible and equitable for everyone. As Chief Operating Officer with over 25 years of transplant experience, Sue walks us through the comprehensive "Donor Protect" program designed to eliminate financial barriers while safeguarding donors' futures.
We...
What happens when a transplant surgeon, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, and a willingness to trust strangers come together? A revolution in kidney donation that has saved 20,000 lives and counting.
Meet Dr. Michael Rees and Sue Rees, the power couple behind the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation. In this captivating first installment of our two-part season finale, we journey back to 2007 when kidney paired exchange was ...
A spiritual calling, a kidney voucher, and two pastors reconnecting after decades apart—this is no ordinary transplant story.
When Jim Pearl was diagnosed with Fabry's disease in 2004, he had no idea his journey would lead him back to Jeff Barker, a seminary friend from the '90s. After five years on dialysis, Jim clung to his mantra: "In the waiting, God is working." Meanwhile, Jeff saw Jim&a...
What if a casual Sunday scroll through Facebook could save a life? In this heartfelt episode of Donor Diaries, Rich and Cali share the extraordinary story of how a social media post led to a life-saving kidney transplant and an unexpected lifelong connection.
Rich, living with polycystic kidney disease, feared the wait for a deceased donor and the possibility of having to go on dialysis, and took a leap of faith by sharin...
Join us on Donor Diaries as we welcome Dr. Harry Wilkins, CEO of Gift of Hope, who transitioned from a 36-year career as a trauma surgeon to leading an organ procurement organization in 2020. With his unique perspective as both a physician and an industry leader, Dr. Wilkins offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the complex and deeply personal world of deceased organ donation. From the moment of injury to the life-chan...
Join us as we welcome the extraordinary Mike Lollo, a former NYPD detective whose journey led him to become a passionate advocate for kidney donation. Mike's life took an inspiring turn in 2018 when he donated his kidney to a stranger. He shares his remarkable story with us, reflecting on how chance encounters with people like Ned Brooks shaped his mission to transform lives through the power of living donation. T...
Join us as we sit down with Marilyn Day, a founding member of Transplant Village and a two-time kidney recipient who has dedicated over a decade to guiding others through the transplant journey.
In this episode, Marilyn shares how her personal story highlights the transformative power of sharing your journey to inspire action and find living donors within your social network. Discover how platforms like Facebook and Insta...
In this episode, Anthony Cernera, a three-time living organ donor, opens up about his transformative journey of giving and personal healing. His story began with a simple Facebook post that sparked a deep desire to help others, leading him to donate a portion of his liver, kidney, and stem cells. These selfless acts not only changed the lives of his recipients but also had a profound impact on Anthony's own mental h...
What would compel an American living in Germany to navigate a labyrinth of legal and cultural barriers to donate a kidney to a stranger? Join us as we uncover the incredible story of Will Johnson, whose altruistic journey sheds light on the stark contrasts between organ donation practices in the US and Germany. In this episode, recorded in a charming house near Munich, we reveal Germany's current regulations surroun...
How old is too old to save a life? At the age of 74, Tom Duncan defied societal norms to become America's oldest non-directed living kidney donor, and his story will change the way you think about aging and altruism. Join us for an intimate conversation from his serene home in Ruidoso, New Mexico, where Tom recounts the journey that began with a friend's struggle with dialysis and led him to a life-altering dec...
Imagine stepping into a world where giving the gift of life is made more accessible to all. That's the transformative journey we embark on with Ruby Rorty and Rachel Watson in the latest episode of Donor Diaries, as they share the details of a program called Project Donor. Ruby, from Stephen Levitt’s Center for RISC, shares the program's genesis and its profound impact on the healthcare sector's donor eli...
Imagine opening your heart to a complete stranger in one of the most profound ways possible. That's exactly what our guests, Josiah Wolfson and Kat Gordon, did when they each made the life-affirming decision to donate a kidney to someone they'd never met. Their compelling stories of self-discovery and transformation are sure to resonate deeply, as they recount the moments that led them to donate.
Josiah, a form...
LJ Dong, also known as LJ the Medium, embodies resilience and determination in her journey with Nutcracker Syndrome. Despite facing significant health challenges, LJ's refusal to discard her kidney led her on a remarkable path toward organ donation advocacy.
As the American Miss National Mrs. for 2024, LJ leverages her platform to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation. Her diverse background as an or...
Imagine a world where living kidney donors are compensated for their life-saving gift. A world where a severe shortage of kidneys doesn't result in the preventable deaths of over a million Americans. In this riveting dialogue, we're joined by four non-directed kidney donors - Ned Brooks, Elaine Perlman, Dr. Matt Harmody, and Cody Maynard who are the founding members of the Coalition to Modify NOTA. This team w...
Diane Lee Reporting Live with 1 Less Kidney
Diane Lee is an Emmy nominated anchor and two-time Emmy Award winning reporter with more than 20 years of broadcast news experience.
Diane is currently the 7NEWS Consumer Anchor. Her exclusive reports focus on warning them about scams as well as highlighting money saving tips and investigating consumer issues. Diane’s “Here to Help” focus gives her a platform to assist viewers wi...
There’s a wide range of reasons why kidney transplant is available to some, but not all. Imagine the lives that could be saved worldwide if we organized a globally inclusive kidney exchange. What could be possible if we could break down borders and share kidneys with other countries?
Meet Dr. Satish Nadig, Chief of Transplant, and the Director of the Comprehensive Transplant Center at Northwestern Medicine in ...
Exchanging kidneys is a complicated process that involves multiple collaborations between kidney patients, living donors, transplant centers, insurance companies, airlines and more. It’s truly remarkable if you stop to think about the number of people and organizations that need to come together to make 1 paired exchange possible. We only started exchanging kidneys between non-compatible pairs a little over 20 years ag...
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