Mom donates kidney to daughter in desperate need of donor
Kristen Schwicke, a 33-year-old mother of two young children, desperately needed a kidney but doctors weren’t hopeful she’d find a match. Against all odds, her mother was a match, and Schwicke had a successful kidney transplant at the end of April.
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Kristen Schwicke was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 18 months old.
The diabetes led to kidney problems, which Kristen says worsened after the birth of her son.
When Kristen was five months pregnant with her daughter, who was born last year, she had to go on dialysis six days a week while pregnant.
She desperately needed a donor but doctors weren’t holding out hope because Kristen’s antibody level was extraordinarily high.
Dr. Nicole Ali, with NYU Langone Health, told News 12 they had prepared to deliver Kristen bad news: that it was going to be impossible to find a match.
But then, the completely unexpected happened. Kristen’s mom, Maria Velasquez, came back as a match, despite the odds stacked against her.
Schwicke received her mom’s kidney at the end of April. Both women are doing well and are looking forward to a low-key Mother’s Day at home.
Schwicke says she is grateful for her mom, whom she calls her “hero.”
“She gave me another chance at life, so now I can embrace the motherhood that I should’ve been embracing this whole time," Schwicke said.
