Mother of 7 & grandmother of 11 donating kidney to stranger
Long Island mother and grandmother Diana Bautista is hoping that by donating one of her kidneys to a stranger, she can save her daughter Brianna's life.
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Long Island mother and grandmother Diana Bautista is hoping that by donating one of her kidneys to a stranger, she can save her daughter Brianna's life.
"It's about hope." said Bautista.
She said Brianna, who has three kids herself, was diagnosed in 2022 with a kidney disease that progressed very fast and she now needs a kidney transplant.
"She's just a ray of light, anybody that knows her has nothing but positive to say about her, to see her like this, it's hard." said Bautista about Brianna.
She was going to give Brianna one of her kidneys, but she's not a match.
And Bautista thought all hope was lost, until a coworker told her about the Kidney Paired Donation Program at Stony Brook Medicine.
"I could potentially be saving two lives, you know so why not do this? It only makes sense." said Bautista.
"This is something that a living, healthy person can step forward and choose to give that gift to someone that they love." said Dawn Francisquini, administrative director of the program at Stony Brook Medicine.
Francisquini said the way it works is Diana would give one of her kidneys to a stranger, and in turn, someone else would give one of their kidneys to her Brianna. A donor could come from anywhere in the country.
Francisquini said the kidney swap program opens up a much larger pool of possibilities for someone who needs a transplant.
"They're still helping their loved one but they're also helping other people at the same time, so the magnitude of that is so much greater." said Francisquini.
Bautista told News 12 she's ready to do whatever is needed to save her daughter's life.
"I'm ready, listen, I had seven kids, this is nothing." said Bautista.
If you would like to learn more about the donation program, here is a link to the Stony Brook Medicine Kidney Transplantation Services here.
The main phone number to call with inquiries or referrals is 631-444-2209 and the program email address is kidneytransplant@stonybrookmedicine.edu
