TUCSON — Have you ever thought about what it really means to donate an organ—while you’re still alive?
In honor of National Donate Life Month, Banner – University Medicine hosted a special event on Saturday to celebrate living kidney donors.
More than 16,000 people in Arizona are currently living with kidney failure, according to the American Kidney Fund. But getting a kidney transplant isn’t always simple. There are more than 1,400 people on the kidney transplant waiting list in the state—a process that can take years.
That’s why experts at Banner say the fastest, and often the best, way to get a transplant is through a living donor.
“You have to do it, we have to do it. Get the support,” said Andy Rodriguez, a kidney transplant recipient at Banner University Medicine.
Rodriguez had been living with kidney failure for 20 years. In December 2022, his condition worsened. A transplant became his only option.
“He didn't want the family to be donors. He refused,” said Georgie Rodriguez, Andy’s sister and living kidney donor.
“I thought it would be tough,” Andy admitted.
But Georgie wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was tested—and sure enough, she was a perfect match.
“The moment they said you are the same match, the same blood type, same tissue type, everything, I said, ‘It’s me,’” she said. "I just knew it was me. So, when they were preparing me for the surgery, I was so ready."
“Georgina calls me and says, ‘How would you like a date in December?’ I said, ‘A date?’ She goes, ‘Yeah. We’re getting a kidney,’” Andy recalled.
But, you don’t have to be family to be a match. According to Dr. Robert Harland, surgical director for solid organ transplantation at Banner University Medical Center, it all comes down to blood and tissue compatibility.
“A brother or a sister or parent or a child is more likely to be a good tissue match than a stranger, but a lot of nonrelated people have a suitable tissue,” Harland said.
The total number of Arizonans living with kidney failure has increased by 40% since 2011, according to the American Kidney Fund. Harland says it becomes more common as people get older.
"Ideal treatment for them is transplant," he said. "Although many people can be maintained on dialysis for years, it's not as safe or as painless as getting transplanted and not having to have dialysis."
He said that in the long run, transplantation is less expensive than dialysis and noted that kidneys from living donors tend to last longer and function better than those from deceased donors.
"If you don't have a living donor, then you need to wait for a kidney from someone who's deceased and that wait list consists of 100,000 people in this country right now, so the average waiting time might be 5 or 6 or more years waiting for a kidney," said Harland.
In 2024, the Banner – University Medicine Tucson kidney transplant program performed 16 living donor transplants, with over 52% of patients on the transplant waitlist receiving a kidney within one year — far exceeding the national average of 22.2%.
But for Georgie, it wasn’t about the statistics—it was about love.
“I was given that opportunity to show him how much I love him and I'd do it all over again,” she said.
“You find out who's your friends, you find out who's family. And at the end it's... it's family,” Andy added.
One common concern many potential donors have is the fear of needing their kidney later in life—if their remaining kidney fails.
Banner University Medicine explains that every potential donor undergoes extensive testing to ensure they’re healthy and not at risk for future kidney issues. Harland says that as long as you're healthy, you can live a long, full life with just one kidney.
To register as a potential living donor, you can visit Banner's donor registration webpage.
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Maria Staubs joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and producer in July of 2024. Her passion for writing and storytelling stems from anchoring her middle school’s news show and editing her high school’s yearbook. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication with a minor in film and media production, as well as a master's degree in mass communication. You can email Maria at maria.staubs@kgun9.com or reach out to her on X/Twitter or Instagram.
