Helping Daniel live again: a kidney donation story

Tara Waites and Daniel Johnson's relationship started in August 2020 in the most ordinary of places – Target. "It's a great place where they bring everything together," Tara said with a chuckle. "From there, [our relationship] just blossomed. We talked on the phone for a while and then it grew into going out to dinner and having a great time."  

The couple quickly felt comfortable opening up to one another, yet there was something Daniel kept to himself for the first few months of their relationship – his struggles with kidney disease and being in kidney failure. "We started dating in August, but he didn't tell me everything until November," Tara said.  

Specifically, Daniel told her about how he went into kidney failure after receiving a heart transplant in 2018. He explained that he had to receive dialysis treatments three times a week and needed a kidney transplant – though he did not ask Tara specifically to donate her kidney to him. Instead, it was Tara who brought up the idea.  

"I said, 'hey, what's your blood type?'," Tara said. "He told me A positive, and I said I was A positive too, and the ball started rolling from there. It wasn't even a question [of whether I should get tested to donate to him], I just did it."  

After beginning the evaluation process for becoming a living donor in December 2020, Tara got word in February 2021 that she was approved to give her kidney to Daniel. The surgery went well, and both had smooth recoveries. "I was back up and working two weeks later," Tara said. "I didn't have to do anything differently [after the surgery] because I wasn't on any medication, other than drink more water."  

Although Daniel's recovery took a bit longer – two to three months – the new kidney gave him freedom from dialysis and a second chance at life, which is precisely why Tara made the decision to donate to him in the first place. "I wanted him to be able to extend his life," she said. "He had three children, and his daughter was getting married the following year. So, I [donated] because of his children." 

Unfortunately, Tara's decision to become a living donor is not a common one, as most donated organs in the United States come from deceased donors. When asked what needs to be done to increase the number of living organ donors, Tara emphasized the importance of education. "It all starts [with education]," she said. "For some individuals, when you first tell them about being an organ donor, [they ask] 'what's going to happen to you?' or 'can you function with only one kidney?' [I am proof] that you can live a normal life with one kidney. It's not a death sentence."  

Living donors are especially rare within communities of color. That is why August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month, which aims to raise awareness about organ donation and transplantation in multicultural communities.  Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American individuals make up almost 60% of the people on the national transplant waitlist in the United States; yet approximately 68% of living organ donors in the U.S. in 2023 were white and non-Hispanic. While transplants are performed between people of different ethnicities – meaning, someone of a particular racial or ethnic background can donate an organ to someone of another background – the long-term survival of the transplanted organ can be higher if the donor and recipient share similar genetic backgrounds. 

Tragically, Daniel passed away in February 2022, though his death was unrelated to the condition of the kidney. Despite his untimely passing, Tara said she has no regrets, and she encourages others to become living organ donors as well. "Just do it to save a life," Tara said. "To be able to be selfless and give back in a way you never thought you would be able to give back to someone is mind-blowing and so meaningful."