A kidney transplant love story on National Donor Day
“Every time I look at her, I think ‘this woman has my kidney, and I'm alive to see it,’” said Michael Schroeder, who donated a kidney to his wife Julie. “In God's eyes, we are one, and we truly are now.”
On Feb. 14, this couple celebrates Valentine’s Day and National Donor Day, and they want others to consider becoming an organ donor, too.
In 2019, Julie Schroeder was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, which was causing her kidneys to shut down. She started dialysis to help her body remove waste and fluid, but they knew it wasn’t something she could do forever. Michael urged his wife of 36 years to consider a kidney transplant. They were concerned when they found she could be on the waiting list for up to five years, but they were moving forward on faith and love.
“I didn’t think I’d be a match, but I wanted to get tested to rule myself out,” said Michael.
In November 2020, he got a call from Juan Martinez with the transplant clinic at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant with an update on his tests.
“When Juan called, I thought God is answering our prayers,” said Michael. “He told me to sit down, and then he said I was a match for Julie. I told Juan he had to tell her, because she wouldn’t believe me.”
As the Live Donor Coordinator, Juan is responsible for helping donors and recipients through the transplant process.
“It’s very rewarding to see the excitement when a donor finds out they are match,” said Juan. “Most of the time, our donors are very open and energetic people. They aren’t shy. They have something inside them that makes them want to help others. Mr. Schroeder really wanted to step up for his wife.”
Their kidney transplant surgery was scheduled for Dec. 16 at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant. Everything went as planned. Michael said he was up walking around the following day with hardly any pain. Julie was discharged four days after the procedure.
“He would do anything for me,” said Julie. “His recovery went really well, and then he focused on helping me with my recovery. We feel like the Lord was in the whole thing: the timing, the match, the surgery. It’s been a blessing.”
Now Michael and Julie are major advocates of living donor transplants.
“I try to encourage all my friends to be kidney donors. I tell them ‘God gave us all two kidneys, so we can share one with someone else,’” said Michael.
Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant is the largest living kidney donor transplant program in the nation.