Brian Connor, Transplant Recipient

Consider being an organ donor—it saves lives....

My story begins in my teenage years when I noticed something unusual. After urinating, I saw foam in the toilet, which didn’t seem normal. I told my parents, and we went to the family doctor. He ran blood and urine tests, but everything came back normal. At the time, they didn’t have the right tests or knowledge about certain kidney conditions. Fast forward to 2019, I was at home with my wife and noticed my right foot was swollen. She urged me to contact my primary doctor as referred to a nephrologist who ran more blood and running tests along with a kidney biopsy. Then in 2021 my kidneys were in Stage 5, which means I would need to start dialysis. I ended up in the hospital in 2022 with Covid and pneumonia I was in a coma for over a month and nearly died. As soon as I arrived at the hospital, I began dialysis. After coming out of my coma, I had to eat, talk, write and walk all over again.
After returning home, I went back to work, working five days a week while also going to dialysis 3 days a week. It was challenging, but then I began the testing at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. I got listed in January 2024, and in March 2024, I received a kidney from a deceased donor. Recovery was challenging at times, but now, over a year since my transplant, I feel and look so much better. Consider being an organ donor—it saves lives.