Jesse Brown Physician Donates Kidney to Stranger on the Transplant List
When you hear a story of a young, healthy person donating a kidney, the first thing most people wonder is which loved one in their life needs that kidney.
However, if you asked that question of Dr. Aleksandra Gmurczyk, the Medical Director of the Dialysis Program at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, her answer would be: no one. In fact, Dr. Gmurczyk decided to donate a kidney this past February to a complete stranger on the transplant list.
"I work with patients every day on dialysis and I see how much many of them want a transplant. I am healthy, and I want to help another person, so I decided to donate."
Dr. Gmurczyk emigrated to the United States from Poland when she was a teenager. Growing up she always knew she wanted to be a doctor. Through her medical schooling she decided nephrology, the study of kidneys, was her medical path. She is also a trained transplant nephrologist.
"Nephrology is a specialty that connects to everything, because you’re not just learning about kidneys, but about every part of the human body and the systems that affect and work with the kidneys."
During her residency and fellowships, Dr. Gmurczyk worked at various VA clinics, where she fell in love with working with Veterans. Now a full-time nephrologist at Jesse Brown, she works with dialysis patients daily and sees the toll dialysis takes on them. She wanted to use her donation as a way to help educate her patients on the benefits of receiving a transplant.
"Hopefully my patients will have even more trust in me when they learn that I have been through the process and believe in the benefits of transplants so much that I gave my own kidney."
While Jesse Brown is not a transplant site, Samantha White, the Facility Transplant Coordinator at Jesse Brown, works with Veterans through every step of the transplant process, making sure they have the support and resources they need for a successful transplant. According to Samantha White, Dr. Gmurczyk is individually responsible for 48% of the kidney referrals which have resulted in kidney transplants at Jesse Brow VA.
Through her donation, Dr. Gmurczyk wants to help dispel any concerns patients or their families may have about the transplant process.
"Some people I see don’t trust the medical system, or they are worried about the process and the intensity of the surgery. My goal is not only to supply my patients with facts, but also my own personal experience with the process and surgery so they have all the information necessary to make the decision that is best for them."
Dr. Gmurczyk hopes that her example will inspire others to become a living donor. In fact, living donor kidneys last longer than deceased donors, 15-20 years compared to 10-12 years. In a state where the transplant waiting list ranges from 5-7 years, a living donor can cut that time down dramatically. At the end of the day, Dr. Gmurczyk just wants what is best for her patients.
"With every additional healthy kidney in my patients, the happier I am."
For more information on the donation/transplant process at Jesse Brown, please contact Samantha White at Samantha.White2@va.gov.