Transplant Center

Patient Testimonials

Kidney Recipients and Donors

Emily Biondi

Emily Biondi

After an organ transplant, patients face the road to recovery. Emily Biondi has taken that road at such a brisk pace that she has become a track-and-field athlete since receiving a kidney transplant at the University of Medical Center in 2003.

This summer, Emily attended the U.S. Transplant Games in Pittsburgh where she competed as an athlete and sang at the closing ceremony. More»

Rick Bounds

Rick Bounds

In July 2007, Rick Bounds underwent a kidney and liver transplant at the University of Maryland Medical Center. It's hard to believe that less than a year later, he would compete in a triathlon, complete with swimming, running and biking. But that's what the 53-year-old Essex man did in May, when he participated in the Pocomoke City Triathlon. Bounds used the triathlon as a fundraising opportunity for the University of Maryland Medical Center's Transplant Program. He says that since he has been given a second chance at life, he wanted to give back. More»

Jejuan Brown

Jejuan Brown

Jejuan Brown had been receiving dialysis treatment three days a week, in four-hour sessions, for 10 years. He had never given much thought to a kidney transplant until one of his friends suggested it.

When he came to the University of Maryland Medical Center he did not know what a kidney transplant would do for him, but when he left he not only had a new kidney but also a new nickname – the Roadrunner -- given to him for his quick recovery and positive spirit. More»

Emily and Norman Biondi

Emily and Norman Biondi

Norman Biondi of Ellicott City donated one of his kidneys to his daughter, Emily, who was diagnosed with kidney failure at the age of 19. The successful transplant surgery took place on December 19, 2003, at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

In an effort to honor and thank her father, Emily submitted an essay expressing what her father's kidney donation meant to her. Emily's essay was one of five selected from among more than 150 contest entries nationwide in the Ride of a Lifetime essay contest. The prize, to participate in the 2007 Rose Parade, was awarded to Norman. More»

Jamie Cadiz, center with her husband Jesse, right, and her son Jarrett, left.

Jamie Cadiz and Scott Clarke

After struggling with the effects of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) for over 10 years, Jamie Cadiz was in end-stage renal failure and needed a kidney transplant but she also faced an additional challenge -- finding a transplant center that would take her case.

She finally found that place at the University of Maryland Medical Center. More»

Ana George and Sergio Alexander Figueroa

On January 13, 2006, Ana George and Sergio Alexander Figueroa underwent a living donor kidney transplant operation at the University of Maryland Medical Center, which was later broadcast on a surgical webcast. Figueroa says donating a kidney to his sister was the greatest thing he's ever done. More»

Meet Alan and Noreen Farrington

Noreen and Alan Farrington

After 15 years with kidney disease, Alan Farrington's kidneys went into the final stage of failure. He needed a transplant. After going on the national waiting list, he began trying to find living donors. His wife, Noreen, was a match and in April 2005, the couple traveled from their home in New York to Baltimore so that Mrs. Farrington could donate a kidney to her husband.

Dennis Negley and John Gatten

1000th UMMC Kidney Donor Helps Brother-in-Law on the Road to Recovery

Kidney donor John Gatten, left, with his brother-in-law recipient Dennis Negley.

On the same day that he donated a kidney to his brother in law, John Gatten became the 1000th donor at the University of Maryland Medical Center who had a minimally invasive kidney removal.

John Gatten gave a kidney to his brother-in-law, Dennis Negley. The kidney removal and transplant were performed on August 31 at the Medical Center, which has performed 1,000 minimally-invasive kidney removals from people who have donated a kidney to a family member or friend-- the most of any hospital in the United States. More»

Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes

Kidney Recipient

Gene Soucy received a kidney from his girlfriend Teresa Stokes in May 2003.

When Aviation legend Gene Soucy, an award-winning airshow pilot, discovered he had kidney disease, he knew he needed to find a donor. Luckily, Soucy did not have to search very far. His wingwalker and girlfriend of 16 years, Teresa Stokes was the first person to offer him a kidney. Soucy and Stokes spent time in their hometown of Houston, Texas searching for a location to undergo the transplant procedure. But when they couldn't find a hospital that would do Stokes's donor operation laparoscopically, they started looking for other options. That's when they discovered the University of Maryland Medical Center's Transplant Center, and learned more about laparoscopic kidney removal, a less-invasive alternative for kidney donors. More»

Marie Joost and Dereck Joost

Kidney Recipient

Marie Joost received a kidney from her husband Derek Joost in June 2002.

"I have type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed as a young adult and struggled with it for 23 years before I got my first transplant. I had what was considered brittle diabetes. My blood sugars were always up and down. I was taking four shots of insulin a day and I still couldn't get it under control.

I really started getting sick back in 1994. I was throwing up and there was blood in my urine. I had a lot of symptoms of renal failure. My doctors were getting ready to put me on dialysis when I got a call that they had found me a kidney and a pancreas from a cadaveric donor.

After that transplant, they told me that my new organs would probably last me about seven years. Well, in October 2001, I started getting sick again. I was losing a lot of weight and throwing up. My doctor put me on dialysis in December [2001], and I knew I'd need a new organ.

Derek Joost

This time around, however, I didn't have to wait for an organ because my husband was willing to give me his kidney. I found out about the University of Maryland's transplant center from my endocrinologist. She referred me to the transplant program.

My recovery has gone pretty smoothly. It took a while for me to regain my strength, but I was able to go back to work part-time in September [2002]. It is good to be back. I feel so much better now than I did before the transplant.

I have a lot of confidence in the team at the transplant center. I received very good care. I'm now waiting to see if I'm rejecting my husband's kidney, but I feel they can handle whatever problem I might have."

Anthony Winkel and Jack Winkel

Kidney Recipient

Anthony Winkel, kidney recipient, and brother Jack Winkel, kidney donor

"My kidneys were getting really bad in the last couple of years before the transplant. I was suffering from end-stage kidney disease. Because of my background in veterinary medicine, I understood what my lab reports meant and was well aware of how much I needed a new kidney.

I didn't know anything about the laparoscopic living donor kidney procedure at that time, but I learned about it from the University of Maryland Web site. I emailed the Transplant Center for more information, and found the staff to be very responsive. I had lots of questions about the procedure, and they answered my questions right away.

My brother Jack was screened and chosen as a match to donate his kidney. We moved forward quickly from there.

Right after the transplantation, the color came back to my face, my appetite picked up, I had energy and an overall increased sense of well-being. When I went home, I felt comfortable. I had good post-operation instructions from my transplant coordinator, and a number to call 24 hours a day in case I had any questions.

I feel so much better now that the surgery is behind me. I don't have to do dialysis anymore, and don't worry as much. I can be really active now without getting tired. I am really happy about it."

Jack Winkel (Anthony's brother)

Kidney Donor

"Quite frankly, I found that the anxiety leading up to the transplantation was a waste of time. There are days I forget I even donated my kidney to my brother. I lift weights. I play basketball. I am in better shape now than I was before the surgery, and I was only out of work for three days. I wanted to go back to work after two, but my wife wouldn't let me.

My brother was really run down before the transplant. There were a lot of things he wanted to do, but he couldn't. He is so much better now. He is traveling. He is working out. He is like a brand new person. The transplant was good for our whole family."

Stephen Rash

Kidney Recipient

Stephen Rash, kidney recipient

"It's so good that I don't have to be tied down to dialysis anymore. The transplant changed my life. It's my third kidney transplant. My last one was in 1987. I feel stronger now and I have more freedom to come and go as I please. I used to have to go to dialysis every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I would be in the middle of something and I'd have to run home in order to get to dialysis. Now, there's a whole life ahead of me. I can travel. I can go away for the weekend.

I tried to make a life for myself even when I was on dialysis, but I used to be so limited. I used to get very sick on Mondays and would feel bad until my dialysis on Tuesday. I couldn't eat or drink certain things. Now, I can go for a coffee and Danish in the morning and not worry about it. People say I look better; I know I feel better. I have a new attitude and outlook on life."

George Raymond

Kidney Recipient

Diana Raymond, kidney donor, and husband George Raymond, kidney recipient

"I was really suffering the last two years before the transplant. I was close to full kidney failure. I wasn't on dialysis, but I was a day away from it. As I got sicker, my wife decided to donate her kidney to me.

We are both pilots for United Airlines so we weren't sure how much time we would have to take off from work and how that might affect our future. But it only took about three weeks from the time we started our pre-transplant tests to the day of the surgery. They removed my wife's kidney laparoscopically, and she was able to leave the hospital after several days.

The transplant coordinators were outstanding. The doctors were outstanding. Even the hotel where we stayed was nice and clean and right next to the hospital. My wife went back to work first, and then I went back to work after about six months. We've had a good experience. It has been very positive."

Diana Raymond (George's Wife)

Kidney Donor

"George was put on the waiting list for an organ two years before he finally had his surgery. In that time, we only got one call about a possible kidney that ended up going to someone else on the list.

He really began deteriorating so I insisted on being tested. It turned out we were the same blood type. I knew that was a good starting point. From there, everything went into high gear. I read all of the articles I could find on the laparoscopic procedure. I spoke with a nurse coordinator at the Medical Center, and she was so helpful and enthusiastic. I didn't even know what questions to ask, but she guided me through the process.

The operation only lasted about four and a half hours. They wheeled me in to the recovery room, and I saw George there. The results of the transplant were instantaneous. He had all of his color back. He told me that he felt better than he had in five years."

If you would like to make an appointment or talk to someone about our services, please call 410-328-5408 or 1-800-492-5538.

This page was last updated on: October 1, 2008.