By Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Staff writer
Ten years ago, Marcos Martinez came home for lunch just like any other day. His mother called him into the room and broke down when she told him her kidneys were failing and she needed to start dialysis.
“My first question was ‘What do we need to do?’said Marcos, who was still in high school at the time.
Fast forward ten years later, and February 11, 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the day Elvia Martinez, 60, received the “gift of life” from her son Marcos, now 28.
It was a full circle moment because her son to whom she gave life, was saving her own. Marcos was still in high school at the time.
“He’s my hero,” Elvia said. “He was young when he gave that kidney and to see him as a man now…the love he gave me is something I could never let him know how much I appreciate it.”
Elvia said when she was first told about her kidney failure she was horrified. At her wits end with dialysis, Elvia was suffering so much she was losing the will to live.
Her children immediately got tested to see if they were a match for their mother rather than wait on the transplant list, as it can take an average of three to five years to find a donor. Three of her children were a match but it was Marcos who had the procedure.
At the time, Marcos’ brother just had his first son and his sister was new mom.
“I didn’t want anything to happen to them and leave their kids behind,” Marcos said.
Marcos said the process leading up to the procedure was “overwhelming.” His mother was on dialysis for over a year. And the family would set up her machine every night before bed and accompany Elvia to every appointment.
However, regardless of how tedious the process was, with his family supporting them, Marcos was steadfast in his decision to go through with the donation.
“I was more scared of losing my mom than scared of something going wrong with the surgery with me,” he said.
Mrs. Martinez had lost her eyesight in the months leading up to the operation. When Marcos woke up in recovery after a successful operation, his mother exclaimed that her vision had returned.
“As soon as woke that’s all I heard was ‘Marcos I can see you! I can see you!’”
It only lasted one day, but to be able to see her entire family for that one day holds a special memory in their hearts.
“I know God gave her that one day to see everyone,” Marcos said.
When looking back on the past ten years, Elvia said she was grateful for the extra time with her family, especially her grandchildren.
“They come over and they stay with me, that’s just something I really enjoy,” Elvia said. “My kids and my grand kids that’s what is keeping me alive.”
KEY FACTS ABOUT ORGAN DONATIONS
There are more than 93,000 Americans on the kidney transplant waiting list. More than 2,100 children under the age of 18 are on the organ transplant list.
In 2023, 27,332 were able to get a kidney transplant and 6,290 of those were from living donors.
Many people do not realize living donors are an option for an organ transplant operation.
Living donors can expect a quick turnaround in terms of recovery from the surgery. Typically, the donor can leave the hospital after one or two days and can return to work a couple weeks after the surgery. Moreover the risks for long-term problems like kidney failure are low, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
Chronic Kidney disease affects one in seven adults across the U. S. and about 1.3 million lose their lives each year. It is the leading cause of death in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s.
Early stages of chronic kidney disease may have no symptoms or signs. Many people don’t realize they are living with chronic kidney disease until the disease is in advanced stages.
In order to become a living donor, you must be at least 18 years old and contact a transplant center and be medically evaluated. For any other questions about living donation, you can contact NKF Cares at 855-653-2273 or email nkfcares@kidney.org.