She completed additional education and training and transitioned from her role as nurse at American Family Children’s Hospital to pediatric nurse practitioner. In her new role, Laura worked with transplant patients and saw the miracles that can occur when a child receives a life-saving liver or kidney transplant. And she thought, ‘I can do this.’
Laura completed the UW Health online application for becoming a living kidney donor to start the process of learning whether she was eligible. After completing a phone call with a living donor advocate, Laura spoke with Mel Shafer, a living donor coordinator, who scheduled Laura’s donor evaluation. During the evaluation, Laura underwent multiple blood and imaging tests and met with several medical professionals, including Mel.
“Mel was so nice and easy to talk to,” says Laura. “I felt very calm from the time I first talked to her, and she was quick to answer all my questions. I had a lot of them and appreciated her patience with me.”
A few weeks later, Laura heard the news: She had been approved as a kidney donor. “That’s when it became real,” says Laura. “It was exciting, but I remember thinking that I was purposely putting myself through surgery. That was terrifying.”
Laura was an altruistic donor, which meant she was giving one of her kidneys to a stranger, so she didn’t have an exact date for her surgery. Instead, she needed to wait until the National Kidney Registry matched her with a recipient who needed a kidney. “I was approved to donate in May but wasn’t able to take time off work until December,” says Laura. “It was a waiting game until I got a match, and I had seven months to think about it, which felt like a very long time.”
In the meantime, Laura communicated with Mel regarding her health, asked questions and shared her concerns. “I felt like I was constantly calling Mel or emailing her with more questions every day,” says Laura. “She was always so patient and responded to my questions promptly.”
When Laura was matched to a recipient, Mel called her with the good news and to set the surgery date. Laura spoke with the transplant pharmacist and has another appointment at the transplant clinic for additional blood work and exam. “Mel came in at the end and asked me, and my mom and sister who were with me, if we had any other questions,” says Laura. “I didn’t realize how much the coordinators do! They arrange everything from the OR room reservation to the courier who picks up the kidney to take it to the airport, to the pre-op phone call with the recipient’s center, it is intense!”
Mel called Laura the day before surgery to see how she was feeling and if she had any last-minute questions or concerns. “That was huge for me,” says Laura.” I was anxious and nervous, and it helped me to hear her calm voice!”
Laura gave the gift of life on Dec. 7, 2023. “I had full trust in my surgeon and my surgical staff and nurses,” says Laura. “I was really grateful for the experience. It was exhilarating, and eye-opening because I’m used to being the nurse and not the patient.”
Mel called to check on Laura about a week after surgery and will continue to be her living donor coordinator until two years after her donation, when she is discharged from the living donor program.
Laura returned to her normal lifestyle quickly. She completed a half-marathon at the end of April and is training for a half-Iron Man triathlon in July. “I’m doing great!” says Laura. “I don’t think I would have been able to go through with it if it hadn’t been for my amazing transplant team, but especially my living donor coordinator, Mel!”