The incidence of kidney disease in South Texas is not just higher than the national average. South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley have the highest rates in the entire country. <\/p>\n
An epidemic of Type 2 diabetes and hypertension are the biggest causes of kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, where kidneys alone cannot sustain life. At that point, patients face a difficult choice to stay alive: go on dialysis — a draining process to cleanse the kidneys — or seek a kidney transplant. <\/p>\n
\u201cDialysis is life support,\u201d explained Dr. Elizabeth Thomas, a transplant surgeon and director of the living kidney donor program at University Health Transplant Institute<\/a>. \u201cSo many people think it\u2019s routine. They\u2019re like, \u2018I go to dialysis three times a week; I\u2019ll find a way to fit it into my schedule.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The reality, however, is that people die on dialysis. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you took 10 people and put them on dialysis, in five years, half are dead,\u201d Thomas said. <\/p>\n Choosing transplantation <\/p>\n While a kidney transplant is the best way for a patient with kidney failure to regain their health and vitality, the gap between the need and availability is enormous. <\/p>\n The national transplant system known as UNOS<\/a> reports that more than 94,000 people are on the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney, but only 21,000 received one in 2025. The average wait is about five years. During that time, a patient\u2019s health continues to decline. <\/p>\n That\u2019s why Dr. Thomas is a vocal advocate for living donation<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are not enough organs for all the people who need them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Dr. Elizabeth Thomas, a transplant surgeon and director of the living kidney donor program at University Health Transplant Institute. (University Health)The benefits of living donation<\/p>\n A person needs just one healthy kidney to live a full, active life. Living donors are generous people who give one of their two healthy kidneys to someone who needs it to survive — often dramatically improving outcomes. <\/p>\n Recipients benefit in several ways: <\/p>\n They receive a transplant within weeks or months instead of years.<\/p>\n The kidney begins working immediately.<\/p>\n Living donor kidneys are often healthier, with better long-term outcomes.<\/p>\n At University Health Transplant Institute, Dr. Thomas helped create the Champion for Life<\/a> program<\/a>, which helps patients share their story with friends and family in a non-confrontational way that often leads to a living donor stepping forward. <\/p>\n Even if a donor isn\u2019t a match with the patient to whom they want to donate, the transplant can move forward by being included in a paired exchange: Willing donors are matched with compatible recipients in exchange for their loved ones also being guaranteed transplants. <\/p>\n What it takes to become a living donor<\/p>\n The first step to being a living donor is simply learning more.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing for people to know is that you just have to be healthy and interested,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be perfect.\u201d <\/p>\n That matters, because many people rule themselves out early.<\/p>\n Some worry they don\u2019t have a matching blood type or incorrectly believe they won\u2019t be able to have children. Others are concerned about work, recovery time or family responsibilities.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease do not rule yourself out,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n Transplant teams like those at University Health will look for ways to help donors cope with personal and medical concerns. They will dispel the myths<\/a> that sometimes result in interested donors not stepping forward. <\/p>\n What to expect: surgery and recoveryDr. Thomas performs a transplant surgery. (University Health)<\/p>\n For those who move forward, the donation process is often more manageable than they expect.<\/p>\n Kidney donation surgery typically takes two to three hours, followed by a short hospital stay — often just one night. At University Health, robotic-assisted surgery allows for greater precision and smaller incisions, helping reduce pain and speed recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re walking the very next day, they\u2019re eating, they\u2019re up and about,\u201d Thomas said. <\/p>\n Most donors are advised to avoid lifting for about six weeks, but many return to normal routines — including work and exercise — relatively quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe encourage that,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cPeople go back to their full, healthy normal lives.\u201d <\/p>\n Choosing the right transplant center<\/p>\n For both donors and recipients, choosing a transplant center is an important part of the process.<\/p>\n Dr. Thomas recommends starting with outcomes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s your body. It\u2019s a huge investment,\u201d she said. \u201cYou should know how they\u2019re going to perform.\u201d <\/p>\n The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients<\/a> (SRTR) collects, analyzes and reports data on all solid organ transplants in the United States. At srtr.org<\/a>, you\u2019ll find a specific transplant center\u2019s survival rates compared to national averages.<\/p>\n You can search by transplant center and organ type — kidney, liver or lung, for example. Transplant programs like the kidney program at University Health Transplant Institute<\/a> also post the SRTR patient outcomes they are proud of sharing on their websites. <\/p>\n In addition to patient survival, the STRT website also provides: <\/p>\n Graft survival — how long the transplant organ functions.<\/p>\n Waitlist mortality — how many patients die waiting for a transplant.<\/p>\n Transplant wait — how quickly patients get a transplant.<\/p>\n A life-changing experience — for both sides<\/p>\n While recipients gain a second chance at life, many donors say the experience changes them, too.<\/p>\n Thomas said donors often describe a deep sense of fulfillment after surgery.<\/p>\n