DONOR | Maggie's Story

Maggie Hengst

LIVING Kidney DONOR NEEDED

My name is Maggie and I was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease more than 10 years ago. I have a sister who just received a kidney transplant and my mother died of a different type of kidney disease. I just found out that my maternal grandfather died of a heart failure brought on by kidney disease. Because of this familial issue, family members who would be the closest match may possibly have the same problem and therefore are not candidates for donation. My kidneys have been declining slowly ever since. I am married and have 5 children, 12 grandchildren, 2 great granddaughters and a great grandson due in late spring. I love to read, quilt, crochet, travel and spend time with family.

I am very close to total kidney failure and needing to begin dialysis. This will change my life significantly. In addition to the time that dialysis will take, it will put an end to our traveling which we love. We have children and grandchildren in Washington State, Colorado and Texas. We have sisters out of state as well and love going to the beach. As our grandchildren are growing up more of them will be leaving the area.

A transplant would mean that I can continue doing the things I love!

My best chance at living the life that I am accustomed to is to find a living donor. The wait for a cadaver donor is more than 5 years and who knows whether I will be healthy enough for a transplant by that time. A living donor transplant also has a much longer life expectancy than a cadaver kidney. Please share this story as many places as possible which will give me the best chance of finding a living donor.

START YOUR JOURNEY

Become Maggie Hengst's Donor

If you are considering being a living donor please use links below to contact Maggie Hengst's Transplant Center. Begin by completing the donor questionnaire

Fill Out DONOR Questionnaire
(INQUIRES ARE 100% CONFIDENTIAL)

Becoming a Kidney DONOR Find a Transplant Center near you

Johns Hopkins Hospital

1800 Orleans St, Baltimore, MD, 21287

(410) 614-9345 Email Transplant Center

Did you know?

Medical expenses for living organ donors are 100% covered, and inquires from potential donors are 100% confidential! Contact the Transplant Center to learn more about living donation.

More Donor FAQs

Share the Importance of Living Donation

There are currently 120,000 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in the U.S. Of these, 100,000 await kidney transplants.

The median wait time for a kidney transplant is 3-5 years and can vary depending on health, compatibility, and where you live.

In 2014, 17,107 kidney transplants took place in the U.S. Of these, 11,570 came from deceased donors and 5,537 came from living donors.

Every 14 minutes someone is added to the kidney transplant waitlist.

A kidney from a living donor lasts longer and begins functioning more quickly than a kidney from a deceased donor.

In 1995, kidney donation became minimally invasive with a procedure called laparoscopic nephrectomy, which only requires four small incisions. Hospital stay is typically only 3 days after this operation.

Not blood type compatible with your recipient to be a living donor? Kidney Paired Donation (the “kidney swap” program) enables incompatible candidates with a living donor to receive a kidney from a compatible donor.

Last year, over 700 living donor kidney transplants occurred using Kidney Paired Donation.