Trinity Health Colleague Redefines What's Possible Following Kidney Donation

For most people, climbing a volcano for the first time is a fun challenge and likely a bucket list endeavor. For Erin Saotome, M.A., CCC-SLP, a Speech and Language Pathologist at Trinity Health Probility Physical Therapy in Howell, her first climb holds extra special meaning.

This December, less than two years after donating one of her kidneys, Erin will attempt to climb three volcanoes in Guatemala -- Pacaya, Acatenango, and Atitlan. Her climbs follow completion of the Cleveland Half Marathon last year, just three months post-surgery. Through these accomplishments, Erin is inspiring others and helping redefine what’s possible for active individuals, like herself, who have or may be interested in donating a kidney to someone in need.

Living kidney donations are not commonplace, but they are very much needed. According to the National Kidney Foundation, there are nearly 101,000 Americans actively awaiting kidney transplants. More than 3,000 new patients are added to this wait list each month, and 13 people die each day waiting for a transplant the never comes. But of the 17,107 kidney transplants that took place in 2014, less than one-third came from living donors.

Those who choose to be a living donor do so most often for a close friend or loved one experiencing kidney failure. But in Erin’s case, she is among an even smaller group — non-directed living donors — who donated an organ to an unknown recipient.

Erin, a devoted wife, and mother of three, has always considered herself to be a good person. But becoming a living donor for someone she had never met was a big ask of anyone.

She registered to become a donor originally to help her cousin who was experiencing kidney failure and needed a transplant. As it turned out, Erin wasn’t a match, though her cousin did eventually receive the kidney he needed.

When registering to donate, Erin had also opted into the Paired Kidney Exchange and, little did she know through that program, she would soon play a significant role in helping save the lives of three complete strangers.

“If I’m being honest, when I received the call that I was a match, my original thought was, I’m not sure I can donate a kidney to a stranger, Erin said. “But the more I thought about it and the more I researched and learned about it, the more I realized I could help save someone.”

Erin’s participation was crucial to successfully completing a chain of multiple transplants, in which three recipients would receive non-directed living donor kidneys from three healthy donors, for a total of six surgeries.

However, Erin had more than herself to think about. She has a husband and three young children, ages 11, 9 and 6. “I spoke with my husband about it, and he was really supportive,” Erin said. “My husband and kids never skipped a beat. They had a lot of questions, but they were proud of me, and they understood the impact my donation could have.”

Erin is now a proud supporter of Kidney Donor Athletes, an organization of active individuals and athletes who help inspire, support, and educate people about the experience of kidney donations.

“I'm active and have run a few 10ks and half marathons, but I would never have considered myself an ‘athlete,’” Erin said with humility. “The Kidney Donor Athletes community has really helped me embrace the idea that I am an athlete and that I can continue to be an athlete now that I have one kidney.”

Since donating her kidney, Erin has learned that the recipient of her organ was someone living in Florida. The two have since texted one another words of gratitude and encouragement.

Sometime soon Erin says, “I hope we can meet. For now, I’m just happy the recipient of my kidney is doing well and that I was in a position to help.”

If you are considering becoming an organ donor, your gift could help save someone in need. Please visit Gift of Life to get started.

To learn more about Erin’s upcoming climb, please visit: Kidney Donor Athletes | Kindful.