A Full-Circle Adoption Story: Abby Nicola’s Kidney Donation Story

I was adopted as a baby. My adoptive parents couldn’t have biological children because of my mom’s lifelong battle with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a genetic disease that had already taken the lives of several members of her family.

Growing up, I knew it was only a matter of time before my mom’s kidneys would fail and that I wanted to try to become a living donor when it came time.

In 2024, my mom reached Stage 5 kidney failure and was placed on the transplant list. I came with her to her first educational appointment and began the donor testing process right away after hearing the success rates and quality of life improvement of living donation.

After a few months, came the incredible news: I was cleared to donate—and I was a direct match for my mom, which is rare since we are not genetically related. Even our donor coordinator teared up when she heard the news. It was an extraordinary full-circle moment; a sort of divine proof that everything had a purpose. She raised me and gave me life, and now I am able to give life back to her!

In May 2025, we went into surgery together, and my kidney was directly passed to my mom. We recovered on the same hospital floor (though she was in the ICU), and I was able to walk over and spend time with her during my recovery. We were both well taken care of by the team at Froedtert.

Now, more than a year later, we are both doing well. My mom’s quality of life has improved tremendously, and she has the energy to do the things she loves. I’ve made a full recovery and am back to hiking, travel, theater, and dance. Mom’s eGFR has increased exceptionally, now around 90%, and mine has returned to 100%—even with one kidney.

I now use my experience to encourage people considering living donation. There’s a common misconception that donating a kidney means giving up an active, healthy life. My energy? Unchanged. My passion for adventure? Stronger than ever. My scar? A small reminder of the life I helped save. If anything, donating didn’t limit my life—it expanded it.

So to anyone considering living donation: you are not giving up your health—you’re sharing it. And yes, you can still run marathons, climb mountains, or simply enjoy a long, vibrant life with one kidney while giving someone else a second chance at life.

But our story isn’t over.

My uncle—my mom’s brother—also has inherited PKD and did not have the same outcome. He is now on dialysis as he waits for his place on the transplant list, but his quality of life is severely limited. It breaks my heart to watch someone who has shown the world so much kindness suffer with this terrible disease. Every year, too many people lose their battle with kidney disease before their turn on the transplant list even comes. I wish I had another kidney to give—I would do it in a heartbeat. A couple of family members have stepped forward but have not cleared the tests needed to donate. I am hoping this story reaches someone considering being a living donor who might step forward for my wonderful uncle. I know goodness put into the world often finds its way back around.

If our story has touched your heart, and you’ve ever thought about becoming a living donor—whether to help my uncle or someone else in need—I hope you’ll take that next step and know you’ll be supported throughout the entire process. You could be the reason someone gets their life back, their energy restored, and their future rewritten. That gift doesn’t just change one life; it ripples through families, friendships, and the people their lives have touched.

About the Author

Abby Nicola is a Wisconsin native with a love for traveling, going exploring with her rescue dog, Laylah, and making memories with family and friends. She is a communications specialist at a global organization by day and is also a children’s author, teacher, and performer on the side. A lifelong lover of the arts, Abby also performs in local theater productions and creates magical experiences, bringing beloved children’s characters to life for community events and Make-A-Wish. Her own life has been shaped by an extraordinary adoption and kidney donation, inspiring her to use her experience to support other kidney donors on their journey.