Nearly three decades ago, Linda had to have one of her kidneys removed because of a benign tumor. After that, her kidney function started to slowly decrease over the years, until she had to start dialysis in the fall of 2022.
Nettie, who was a teenager when her mother lost her kidney, was eager to donate one of her kidneys to Linda. But Linda, who had four sons and just one daughter, wouldn’t hear of it. “She was my baby girl,” Linda said. “I didn’t want anything to happen to her. I just said, no, we’re figure out something.”
Once Linda started dialysis, life became much more difficult for her. “It drained her so badly and made her sick,” said Nettie. “She had to go for dialysis three days a week, and on those days, she couldn’t do anything.”
Finally, Linda relented, and Nettie underwent testing to be a kidney donor in the spring of 2023. But Nettie wasn’t immediately approved to be a donor—she had to cut back on her sugar intake and change some of her eating habits. So, she did. “Instead of grabbing a cookie, I would grab a banana,” said Nettie. “My mom had to change her diet too, and we both stuck with what we had to do.”
Linda puffs up with pride when she talks about what Nettie did for her. “She changed her whole lifestyle,” she said. “She was so excited to know that she could be part of giving me a kidney, or helping someone else give me one.”
It turned out that Nettie’s kidney wouldn’t be compatible with Linda, but they were able to participate in a paired kidney exchange through the National Kidney Registry. Through the exchange, Nettie donated her kidney to someone else, and Linda received a kidney from a person who was donating on behalf of their loved one. And by the time the two women were ready for their surgeries (which were both on Oct. 22, 2024), Linda was completely at peace with the gift her daughter was giving her.
“I was very confident that my surgery would go well,” she said. “And I was confident she would be fine too. They check you so thoroughly at the hospital. I had every test imaginable over the course of two years, and I knew the doctors were going to take care of both of us.”
Neither of the women experienced any serious complications. In fact, Linda was feeling even better after her surgery than Nettie was. “She was jumping out of bed and I was crawling out of bed,” Nettie said. “But to watch my mom not be in pain anymore—I cannot express how great that was. The nurses and doctors made it a blessing for us to be there in the hospital with each other.”
The women, who both live in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, are now counting their blessings that they have been able to recover so well. They especially thank their family and friends for all the love and support they provided.
“I take my pills like I’m supposed to,” said Linda. “Now, I’ve just got to get my blood pressure under control. I’m so excited for next summer to come, when I have my strength back.”
Linda says she’s looking forward to doing all the things that were difficult with dialysis—camping, gardening, fishing and traveling. “I told my kids, I have at least 20 more years left to bug you guys,” she said with a laugh, “so you better treat me right!”