Donor Diaries

Laurie Lee
  • 4.9 (40)
  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Donor Diaries is a podcast that delves into the beauty and complexity of living organ donation. Tune in to hear extraordinary stories of people who choose to share their organs and give the gift of life. The world of kidney and organ donation is a powerful testament to kindness, love, and the human spirit.With over 90,000 individuals on the kidney transplant waitlist and about 13 people dying each day while waiting, the urgency is real. One in three Americans is at risk for chronic kidney disease, and one in nine already suffers from it, often unknowingly.Donor Diaries offers unfiltered narratives from living donors and candid insights from transplant experts, aiming to elevate the conversation around organ donation. Our goal is to bring this crucial issue to the forefront, so no patient has to wait in vain or suffer needlessly.

  1. 3D AGO

    DOVE: Changing How Veterans Find Kidney Donors | EP 40

    Send us Fan Mail Being told you need a kidney transplant is overwhelming. Being told you need to go find your own living donor while managing dialysis can feel impossible. For many veterans, that is exactly how the system works today. In this episode, we sit down with Sharyn Kreitzer, a living kidney donor and longtime transplant professional with nearly three decades of experience in end stage organ disease. Sharyn began her career as a dialysis social worker and went on to work across transplant social work, outreach, development, and administration in both private sector programs and the VA system. In 2015, she launched the first VA transplant program on the East Coast at the Bronx VA. It was there that she saw a gap that could not be ignored, and in 2020 she founded DOVE (Donor Outreach for Veterans) to bring a different kind of support to veterans navigating the transplant process. We talk about the real barriers veterans face when it comes to living donation. Access to transplant centers is limited. Travel can be a major burden for both recipients and donors. Criteria for donor approval can vary widely from one center to another, leaving willing donors confused and discouraged. Sharyn shares how DOVE steps in once a veteran is evaluated and listed, helping them build a clear, shareable profile that turns a vague need into something people can understand and act on. A big part of this conversation is about how we engage potential donors. Instead of pushing people straight into long and invasive medical forms, DOVE starts with education and conversation. It is a simple shift, but one that keeps more people engaged and open to learning. We also talk about the importance of second opinions, and how a “no” from one center does not always mean the end of the road. Throughout the episode, we come back to the idea of community directed donation. Sharyn shares how DOVE was inspired by models like Renewal and what the broader transplant community can learn from groups that have normalized living donation. When communities share the work, more people step forward and more lives are saved. Sharyn’s work has been recognized across the transplant field, including honors from TRIO, LiveOnNY, the American Association of Kidney Patients, and an innovation award from United Network for Organ Sharing for mobile lab outreach during COVID. She is also helping lead the first ever U.S. Armed Forces Transplant Team at the 2026 Transplant Games in Denver. If you care about veterans, kidney disease, or the future of living donation, this conversation offers a perspective that is both honest and hopeful. DOVE Website Donor Diaries Website Donor Diaries on Facebook Connect with Laurie Lee GiftWorks Donor Diaries Website Donor Diaries on Facebook GiftWorks Website Connect with Laurie Lee

    31 min

  2. APR 7

    The Transplant Games of America: Where Donation Comes Alive | EP 39

    Send us Fan Mail You can’t fully understand organ donation until you see what it makes possible. Parents reaching milestones they once thought they might miss. Grandparents meeting grandchildren. Families holding both grief and pride at the same time.  In this episode of Donor Diaries, we take you to the Transplant Games of America, happening June 18 to 23 in Denver. Often described as a “mini Olympics,” the Games bring together transplant recipients, living donors, and donor families for a week that feels more like a family reunion than a competition. Laurie is joined by three voices who represent every side of the donation story. Bill Ryan, donor dad and President and CEO of the Transplant Life Foundation, shares how decades of experience producing large-scale events led him to steward this powerful gathering and why it continues to grow.Mark McIntosh, founder of Victory Productions and chair of the 2026 Denver host committee, opens up about living with amyloidosis, surviving kidney failure, and receiving a life-saving transplant in 2024. Now a longtime media personality and motivational speaker, he is using his platform to drive awareness around kidney health and living donation.And Kathleen Hostert, living kidney donor and co-founder of Life’s Short. Live It., shares her deeply personal story of donating a kidney to her husband Craig and walking alongside him through transplant, cancer, and the meaningful years they might not have otherwise had.Together, they explore what makes the Games so unique, why living donation is a practical and powerful response to the organ shortage, and how this community creates space for both celebration and healing. You’ll also hear what to expect in Denver, from competitions and ceremonies to the moments in between that are harder to describe but impossible to forget. Kathleen shares updates on a large-scale gathering designed to bring living donors and recipients together in one place, inspired by global milestones and grounded in the idea that generosity can ripple further than we imagine. With National Donate Life Month as the backdrop, this episode is an invitation to move beyond awareness and into action. Links Transplant Life Foundation Transplant Games of America Website World Record Attempt Details Victory Productions Drive for Five Craig and Katheen’s Walk Donor Diaries Website Donor Diaries on Facebook GiftWorks Website Connect with Laurie Lee

    36 min

  3. MAR 3

    Workplace Support That Changes Everything | 38

    Send us Fan Mail What if a simple HR policy could help save someone’s life? In this episode, Brooke Iarkowski, Transplant Community Program Manager at the American Society of Transplantation, shares how paid leave transforms the living donor journey from a financial gamble into a supported reality. Brooke brings over ten years of experience in the transplant and donation field and a deeply personal connection to the mission. Witnessing both her mother and brother receive kidney transplants inspired her commitment, and in October 2023, she became a non-directed living kidney donor herself. Her lived experience gives her a unique perspective on the patient, donor, and family caregiver journey. We explore how Brooke leads national initiatives that center the patient and donor voice, including the Power2Save campaign and the Living Donor Circle of Excellence. She explains how the Circle of Excellence helps companies adopt clear, humane policies that provide eight to twelve weeks fully paid leave for donor evaluation, surgery, and recovery. Brooke highlights why the business case is strong: medical costs are billed to the recipient’s insurance, utilization rates are low, and company culture benefits are significant. Thoughtful HR policies remove the number one barrier to donation (lost wages) while signaling leadership support for employees who step up to save a life. This conversation also addresses the mental and emotional aftermath of donation. Brooke speaks candidly about post-donation fatigue and a brief depressive period, and how being seen as a whole person made all the difference. Realistic expectations and proper support make donation safer and more sustainable for everyone. If you have ever thought, “I would donate, but I cannot afford the time,” or if you are a leader looking for a high-impact, low-cost benefit that saves lives, this episode is for you. Learn how to bring the Circle of Excellence to your workplace, get practical steps for starting the HR conversation, and hear why thoughtful policies can turn goodwill into a kidney or liver that moves someone off the waitlist. Links Circle of Excellence Power to Save American Society of Transplantation (AST) Donor Diaries Website Donor Diaries on Facebook GiftWorks Website Connect with Laurie Lee

    35 min

  4. FEB 3

    From One Kidney To Many | EP 37

    Send us Fan Mail One kidney can change many lives—if we let it start a chain. We sit down with Dr. John Friedewald, transplant nephrologist at Northwestern Medicine, to unpack a breakthrough: using a deceased donor kidney to initiate a living donor chain that moves multiple recipients off the waitlist and ultimately delivers a living kidney back to a service member at Walter Reed. We break down how kidney paired donation works, why non-directed donors supercharge matching, and what changes when a deceased donor becomes the chain starter. Dr. Friedewald explains the military-share pathway, where high-quality deceased kidneys are screened for parity with prospective living donor outcomes, then routed via directed donation to a match in exchange. The recipient’s incompatible living donor pays the gift forward, extending the chain until an unmatched donor returns a living kidney to Walter Reed. Along the way, we dig into logistics, OPO coordination, timing windows, and why this process fits within familiar directed donation workflows. Fairness and outcomes are front and center. We address concerns about blood type O equity, share early data showing more than double the impact per deceased donor, and discuss how programs monitor blood type flows to avoid disadvantaging anyone on the deceased list. For patients, we explore the real tradeoff between waiting for a theoretical living match versus accepting a filtered, high-quality deceased offer today—especially when months more on dialysis raises risk. With lessons from Italy’s regional rollout and leadership from centers like Northwestern and Michigan, this approach is poised to scale and become a standard tool that magnifies each gift and shortens waits. Subscribe, share this episode with someone curious about organ donation innovation, and leave a review with your biggest question about deceased donor–initiated chains. Your feedback helps more people find these life-saving ideas. Links Northwestern Medicine Transplant The Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation Walter Reed Transplant Military Share Deceased Donor Initiated Chains (American Journal of Transplantation)  Utilization of Deceased Donor Kidneys to Initiate Living Donor Chains (American Journal of Transplant) Kidney Paired Donation Chains Initiated by Deceased Donors Donor Diaries Website Donor Diaries on Facebook GiftWorks Website Connect with Laurie Lee

    33 min

  5. JAN 6

    Choosing Life: Renal Warriors Wilson & Amy | EP 36

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Donor Diaries, we sit down with transplant recipient Wilson Du and living kidney donor Amy McCann, two people whose stories intertwine through determination, community, and the belief that choosing life is a daily practice. Wilson spent five and a half years on dialysis before receiving his transplant in 2022. After a doctor told him he needed to lose 100 pounds or forget about a transplant, he confronted the shock, the shame, and the painful first steps toward change. The words choose life stayed with him and became the foundation for a journey that carried him from a ten-foot walk to an Olympic-distance triathlon and a mission to help others Outshine Their Pain. Today, Wilson is The Renal Warrior, inspiring patients to fight for their second chance. Amy first heard Wilson’s story at their community gym and immediately volunteered to be tested as his donor. She was denied for BMI and could have stepped away, but she chose to turn the rejection into resolve. Nearly 100 pounds later, another donor matched with Wilson, yet Amy kept going. She donated her kidney to a stranger on her birthday, transforming her journey into a gift she had fought hard to give. At The Mission HQ, she now leads the Warrior Program, supporting patients and community members who walk through the doors looking for hope. Together, Wilson and Amy share how Mission HQ became a space where dialysis patients, survivors, and neighbors can move, breathe, and rebuild without judgment. Their message is simple and powerful. Consistency matters more than intensity. Rest when you need to, and then keep going. Small steps count. Hope is built one choice at a time. Links: The Mission HQ Donor Diaries Website Donor Diaries on Facebook GiftWorks Website Connect with Laurie Lee

    34 min

  6. 07/09/2025

    Kidney Pledges, Pet Care, and Paychecks: The Unexpected Support System for Living Donors with the APKD | EP 35

    Send us Fan Mail Sue Rees returns to share the revolutionary donor protections offered by the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation (APKD) that are making kidney donation more accessible and equitable for everyone. As Chief Operating Officer with over 25 years of transplant experience, Sue walks us through the comprehensive "Donor Protect" program designed to eliminate financial barriers while safeguarding donors' futures. We explore how the Alliance reimburses lost wages (up to $10,000), covers travel expenses for both donors and their support persons, and even provides dependent and pet care assistance. Sue explains their innovative "Home Advantage" program, which allows donors to recover locally while their kidneys are shipped to recipients across the country. Most fascinating are the various pledge programs that protect donors and their loved ones: the Advanced Donation Pledge, the Family Pledge, the Friend Pledge, and the Kidney Promise. The conversation takes a global turn as Sue reveals how APKD's international initiatives are creating life-saving matches across borders. "Our differences can save our lives," she explains, sharing the remarkable story of a Mexican poet with 94% antibodies who found her match in Wisconsin. This global kidney exchange program demonstrates how genetic diversity across populations can be the key to finding matches for highly sensitized patients. Sue's personal journey into transplant care adds emotional depth to the discussion. After losing her father to glioblastoma, she was profoundly moved by his nurse's compassion: "I want to be that for somebody," she decided. Today, through her work with the Alliance, Sue helps give second chances to patients and families facing medical crises. Whether you're considering donation or simply curious about advances in transplant care, this episode offers invaluable insights into the protections that make kidney donation safer and more accessible than ever before. SHOW LINKS: Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation Donor Protect Mexican Kidney Exchange Story Donor Diaries Website Donor Diaries on Facebook GiftWorks Website Connect with Laurie Lee

    33 min

  7. 07/08/2025

    Building a Legacy of Life: The Origins of the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation | EP 34

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when a transplant surgeon, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, and a willingness to trust strangers come together? A revolution in kidney donation that has saved 20,000 lives and counting. Meet Dr. Michael Rees and Sue Rees, the power couple behind the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation. In this captivating first installment of our two-part season finale, we journey back to 2007 when kidney paired exchange was in its infancy and most surgeons believed all transplant surgeries had to happen simultaneously to prevent donors from backing out. Dr. Rees takes us behind the scenes of his radical experiment: what if we trusted donors to follow through on their promises even after their loved ones received kidneys? The medical establishment warned this trust-based approach could collapse the entire system. Undeterred, Mike vetted the first chain participant over a steak dinner, separated surgeries by weeks instead of performing them simultaneously, and created what would become what is now a common practice- Non‑Simultaneous Extended Altruistic-Donor chains. Sue shares the heartbreaking reality that confronted her as a transplant coordinator: watching patients remain on dialysis despite having willing but incompatible donors. Through their pioneering work with the Alliance's sophisticated matching algorithm, the Rees’ have transformed how we think about organ donation, proving that human goodness and trust can overcome medical skepticism and logistical challenges. Whether you're curious about organ donation, inspired by medical innovation, or simply love stories of human connection, this episode reminds us that our differences—even incompatible blood types—can ultimately save each other's lives. SHOW LINKS: Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation New England Journal of Medicine Article People Magazine Article Donor Diaries Website Donor Diaries on Facebook GiftWorks Website Connect with Laurie Lee

    33 min

  8. 06/03/2025

    2 Pastors and a Kidney Voucher | EP 33

    Send us Fan Mail A spiritual calling, a kidney voucher, and two pastors reconnecting after decades apart—this is no ordinary transplant story. When Jim Pearl was diagnosed with Fabry's disease in 2004, he had no idea his journey would lead him back to Jeff Barker, a seminary friend from the '90s. After five years on dialysis, Jim clung to his mantra: "In the waiting, God is working." Meanwhile, Jeff saw Jim's Facebook post and felt a spiritual nudge to step forward, despite knowing little about kidney donation. Though not a direct match, Jeff became a voucher donor donating at NYU Langone. His kidney went to someone in the NKR system, and Jim received a kidney voucher due to Jeff’s donation. Just three months later, Jim received his transplant at University of Utah Health. For both pastors, the experience was deeply spiritual. Jim named his kidney "Gigi" (God’s Gift). Jeff sees the donation as part of Christian incarnational theology—"We often think about giving money, but we can give our very selves." GiftWorks supported them throughout the journey, helping Jim share his story widely and guiding Jeff through the donation process. Their experience shows how organ donation not only saves lives, but also renews connections, deepens faith, and transforms both donor and recipient. Jim’s advice for recipients: "Share your story as broadly as possible. It only takes one set of eyes." Jeff encourages potential donors to remember: "Your first yes is not your final yes. Each step requires thought, and each decision matters." Learn more at yourgiftworks.com and consider how making yourself available to others can be a part of something greater. Links: Connect with Laurie Lee GiftWorks Donor Diaries Website Donor Diaries on Facebook GiftWorks Website Connect with Laurie Lee

    30 min
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4.9
out of 5
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About

Donor Diaries is a podcast that delves into the beauty and complexity of living organ donation. Tune in to hear extraordinary stories of people who choose to share their organs and give the gift of life. The world of kidney and organ donation is a powerful testament to kindness, love, and the human spirit.With over 90,000 individuals on the kidney transplant waitlist and about 13 people dying each day while waiting, the urgency is real. One in three Americans is at risk for chronic kidney disease, and one in nine already suffers from it, often unknowingly.Donor Diaries offers unfiltered narratives from living donors and candid insights from transplant experts, aiming to elevate the conversation around organ donation. Our goal is to bring this crucial issue to the forefront, so no patient has to wait in vain or suffer needlessly.

Information

  • Creator
    Laurie Lee
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Donor Diaries
  • Show Website
    Donor Diaries

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