Longtime Friends Share Life-Changing Experience

Then a miracle happened. Longtime friend Craig Nelson raised his hand. Craig and Tony had been classmates at Kansas State University. Their wives were sorority sisters. And both couples had lived in New York for a while, where their friendship grew.

It's not easy to find a living donor. More than 100,000 Americans are waiting for a kidney. And every day, 13 people die because a matching kidney isn't available.

Tony was lucky. Craig not only offered to get tested, he passed The University of Kansas Health System's 5-step kidney donor evaluation process. He was a match. The transplant team let Craig tell Tony the good news. Craig smiles, "It was a fun phone call."

Physicians at The University of Kansas Health System have completed 2,500 transplants since 1969. That's more kidney transplants than any other program in Kansas or Missouri. Even more important, our patient survival rates are higher than regional and national averages.

Craig and Tony were both impressed with the care they received. Craig says, "The team here was just so good about holding my hand through the whole process."

Just 2 days after surgery, Tony felt better than he had in 2 years. He says he will never be able to thank his friend enough. Craig was happy to do it.

"It's an amazing experience to be able to change someone's life," he says.