My Kidney Donation Story: Brandee Burdette

In October 2023, our world changed forever. My husband was diagnosed with terminal end-stage renal failure, and suddenly, the future we had always imagined together felt uncertain. The words “end stage” carried a weight no family should ever have to hear, but we held tightly to faith, love, and the hope of a second chance. 

He is diabetic and has congestive heart failure—all the perfect ingredients for kidney disease—although it had never been picked up or mentioned in his millions of appointments. 

Then one Friday night, he collapsed. He came to very quickly and would not let me call an ambulance. On Monday, I begged his doctors to run every lab in the world. The results came in on Wednesday morning, and we got a phone call from one of his doctors telling us he was in Stage 5 kidney failure and needed to get to the ER immediately.  

As I was driving him to the hospital, he was calling people to say goodbye. Within less than an hour of getting him in the door of the hospital, he crashed and coded. He coded several times, and the doctors did not think he was going to leave the hospital alive. But somehow, he did. They started dialysis that same day. 

Neither of us knew the first thing about kidney failure or dialysis. In the first few weeks, they were saying a transplant was an option for some people, but that he was not a candidate because of his diabetes and congestive heart failure.  

Every night, I would go online to do research, and one night I found the National Kidney Registry website. I knew that my blood type was B-negative and his was A-positive, so I knew we were not a match.  

I always thought you had to be the same blood type, but on the NKR website, I learned about the Voucher Program. Through this program, I could donate my kidney to an anonymous recipient in need, and in return, my husband would receive a living donor kidney transplant when the right match was found. 

I immediately got the ball rolling to see if I could donate. I filled out the forms at midnight, and St. Vincent Abdominal Transplant Services was recommended as our center. I was 50 when I started the process, and I had no idea whether I was too old or what the evaluation process might find. 

In the meantime, my husband’s nephrologists agreed that he could be evaluated as a transplant candidate. His first appointment for his evaluation was on December 13, and mine was on December 15. 

I got word first that I was approved to donate, then we had to wait another month to see if he would be cleared for a transplant. Finally, he was approved. 

On May 14, 2024, I donated my left kidney. Less than three months later, on August 6, 2024, my husband received his gift of life—a healthy kidney from a living donor. He was spared what could have been a six-year wait for a deceased donor. Instead of years of uncertainty and the looming shadow of dialysis, we were given hope, healing, and the chance to live our lives fully again. 

We knew his kidney could come from anywhere in the country, but while he was on the surgery table, we found out his donor was in the same hospital and from the same state—Indiana. At St. Vincent, every time someone donates an organ, they fly a Donate Life Indiana flag for 24 hours, and then they present that flag to the donor.  

The day of his surgery, we pulled up to the hospital at 5 a.m., and we saw the flag. I said—I think that’s your donor! But he said no way. When the doctors were talking to us, they told us that we were not to go into the family waiting room during his surgery—they put us in a different room.  

When we got the word that the new kidney was in and producing urine, my daughter left to go to the bathroom. She had been waiting because she didn’t want to miss any news. She was gone a long time, and when she came back, she was bawling her eyes out. She said Mom, when I was in the stall, I heard a lady on the phone telling someone that they just got word that the kidney was in and producing urine.  

They ended up at the sink together, and my daughter said I’m so sorry, but I overheard your conversation: my stepdad just got a kidney transplant. The woman told her that she also needed a kidney transplant. Her sister had been willing to donate but was not a match, so her sister donated through the Voucher Program so she could get a transplant. She had been on the phone with her sister, telling her that her donated kidney had been transplanted successfully. My daughter said, that’s what my mom and stepdad did!  

Later, we walked by the family waiting room, and my daughter pointed the woman out to me. We kind of waved at her, and she started crying and I started crying and I went in and said, can I just give you a hug? We didn’t ask names, we just hugged for a little while and said please tell your sister that we love her, and this is going to be your celebration soon—you are going to get your kidney next! When we talked to the surgeon about it, he said, I can neither confirm nor deny anything you may be thinking, but I will say that it’s nothing short of a miracle where we happened to find that kidney. 

Since the transplant, my husband has been in and out of the hospital a lot—it’s still a tough journey, but we work hard to spread the word about the Voucher Program, which made his transplant possible. It’s mind-blowing how many people don’t know that you can not be a match and still get your person a kidney. We try to shout it from the rooftops, and I put it on social media at least once a week. Anytime we meet somebody who’s starting that journey, we try to let them know that this is an option for them. 

After my donation, it took me a good couple of months to get back to 100%. The pain went away after a couple weeks, but my abdomen stayed pretty bloated for quite a while. I am a teacher, and I thought since I would just be sitting at a desk, I wouldn’t need much time off work.  

Initially, I only took one week off work, which the transplant team was not thrilled about. On my first day out of the hospital, I knew I had underestimated how much time I would need, so I took another week off. Now that I am fully recovered, I quite often forget that I have donated. 

To anyone considering donation, I would tell them to absolutely not be fearful. Ask questions and talk to others who have been through it. The doctors give excellent medical advice and guidance, but there’s still an emotional aspect to it, and it helps to talk to someone with experience. I wouldn’t hesitate to encourage someone to do it. 

Our story is living proof that organ donation saves lives—not just the life of the recipient, but the lives of families who get to hold onto more moments, more laughter, and more love. By saying yes to donation, you can be the reason another family’s story doesn’t end too soon.

About the Author

Brandee Burdette is both a proud living kidney donor through the National Kidney Registry Voucher Program and the devoted wife of a living donor kidney recipient. Her journey with organ donation is deeply personal—first supporting her husband through his transplant and then stepping forward herself to give the gift of life to another family. 

As a living donor, Brandee advocates for the power of organ donation to transform lives, raise awareness, and inspire others to consider giving the ultimate gift. She shares her story to educate, support, and encourage families facing the challenges of kidney disease, while honoring the strength and resilience of both donors and recipients. 

Brandee resides in the great Hoosier state of Indiana, where she works as Program Chair & Assistant Professor of Business Administration.