By: Esther Padilla, Board Commissioner

I have what is called IGA Nephropathy, an auto-immune problem that caused my native kidney to fail.  In 1994, I was evaluated at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco after being followed by a local kidney specialist; I was spilling protein in my urine. 

They tested me and four of my relatives to see who, if any, would be a suitable donor.  I was in luck! Adele, my daughter, was a perfect match and subsequently underwent a series of tests – a psycho-social assessment in addition to a number of tests on her kidneys.

Because I served on ( Fresno City) council at the time and due to time constraints, I was not a candidate for dialysis; my doctor prescribed medication to keep me going without dialysis. In 1995, when I left council, I concentrated on getting my transplant.  After all the tests were completed, we were scheduled for the transplant on June 27, 1995.  We were hospitalized for six days, I spent only one day in ICU after the transplant. 

As the donor, Adele endured a large surgical site half way around her waist and they took out her bottom rib in order to recover the kidney.  She endured more pain than I did because of the surgery. However, she returned to work in six weeks and was driving in four weeks.  She was 23 years old at the time and had never been previously hospitalized.  I returned to work in eight weeks.  After my transplant, the local media had followed the news of my transplant, and I became the “face” for organ donation here locally.