3 Anonymous Kidney Donations from one Atlanta Family

It takes a special kind of person to donate a kidney anonymously. I believe most people would probably be willing to donate if a loved one were in need of a kidney, or, at least be tested to see if they matched.  I’ve also read some beautiful accounts about strangers who read about a person needing a kidney and going public to try to find one.  The strangers who respond to those pleas for help, donating a piece of themselves to save another person's life are truly selfless, heroic, wonderful people, and the world would be a better place with more of them.  Then there is the incredibly rare type of living donor, who simply decides to give a kidney to whomever is a match, because there is a great need with long transplant wait lists, and the donor just wants to improve the life of another human being.  

This Atlanta family has three such altruistic people;  A mother, Amy Parker Zupancic, and her two sons, Caleb and Daniel McCracken.  Each donated a kidney anonymously, and each said they would do it again.

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A Twitter Article

A Twitter article caught the attention of both Caleb and Daniel. The article detailed the great need, and the shortage of anonymous kidney donors. Caleb and Daniel had read the article separately, and independent of one another felt moved to take steps to find out more about becoming a living donor.

The process is known as living non-directed organ donation, and despite waiting lists of people who are in critical need of a new kidney, this type of donation rarely happens.

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), as of November 2022,  there are more than 106,000 people on the national transplant waiting list with 92,000 (87%) waiting for a kidney. 13 people die each day while waiting for a kidney and every 14 minutes, someone is added to the kidney transplant list.

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Three Surgeries

Caleb, age 29, was the first family member to undergo donation surgery last June,  he had matched with an anonymous recipient from the Midwest. Preparing for the surgery at Atlanta’s Piedmont Hospital, Caleb learned the recipient had to pull out of the process because he had tested positive for Covid-19.  Officials hurriedly found another matching recipient who was local, and Caleb went into surgery as scheduled, donating a kidney to a recipient he had never met, he was simply satisfied to help the recipient to live a healthier, happier life.

Caleb’s mother, Amy shared during an interview that the young man who received Caleb's kidney had recently suffered a loss when his own mother passed away.  Before she died she had said to her son, “I think you are going to get your kidney soon”.  Amy said, “it was really touching to hear that”.  

Daniels surgery was next, scheduled for December following his brother Calebs. His surgery also took place at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.  A young man, also in his 20’s like Daniel, was the anonymous recipient of his kidney.  

Shortly after Daniel’s surgery, the boy's mom Amy began thinking seriously about becoming a donor herself.  She said she remembers thinking to herself,  

“I am walking around with two perfectly good kidneys, and I really only need one, so I decided to see if I could do it too”.  - Amy Zupancic

She described herself as  “A 59-year-old person who is not in the greatest shape”.  She said she was a little surprised when she qualified to donate a kidney, and happily went forward scheduling her own surgery.

Amy went into surgery on October 20th, her surgery went smoothly with no complications.  In fact she said “The recovery time was not as advertised for me, I donated my kidney on Thursday, and was back at work the following Tuesday”.  

Her son Daniel had a rougher recovery period.  Just a few weeks after donating his kidney, he was back in the hospital with acute appendicitis.  The two surgeries within three weeks delayed his healing time, but he said by February he was back to full strength and that he “absolutely had no regrets” and also he “would do it again if he could”.

How do they feel about the experience, donating a kidney to a stranger?

Both Caleb and Daniel spoke about their feelings as living donors.  Daniel  said “I had to undergo one unpleasant thing to help someone to get their life back”,  he said.  “It feels good beyond anything else that I could have done through volunteering or giving money to an organization”.

A few days after his surgery, Caleb wrote a Facebook post outlining his reasons for donating a kidney.

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The boy’s mom feels the same.  Amy said  “If I haven’t done anything else right in my life, this is one thing that I did that I know is good”,   she said.  

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I must say, as a mom myself, I think Amy Zupancic has done at least one other really good thing.  She obviously raised two incredible young men, who are happy to be just really good human beings, taking care of other human beings.  

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Amy encourages others to visit the National Kidney Foundation to look into the steps needed to become a donor.

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Related Articles

How Organ Donation and Transplantation Works

Confessions of a Kidney Donor

A Chain of Life: 10 Person Kidney Donation Chain Meet

How to Become a Kidney Donor

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References

Reporter News Papers

UNOS

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About the Author

Monica McCarthy has bachelors in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Central Washington University.  A majority of her career was spent as a political consultant.   She currently works at KidneyLuv as a staff writer.

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Patient Education Disclaimer

This material is for informational purposes only. It does not replace the advice or counsel of a doctor or health care professional. KidneyLuv makes every effort to provide information that is accurate and timely, but makes no guarantee in this regard. You should consult with, and rely only on the advice of, your physician or health care professional.

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