My Kidney Donation Story: Dan McBennett

A friend of my 12-year-old son’s father was on dialysis, and his kidneys were functioning at 9% when I found out that he needed a kidney. I met his father when our sons were in kindergarten, and he coached their basketball team in first and second grade. 

Over the years, my son and his friend slept over at each other’s houses a lot, but I did not realize how sick his father was. One day, I was picking my son up from his friend’s house when his mother told me her husband was going to need a kidney transplant. She asked if I could post flyers and business cards at the fire department where I work, in the hope that someone would see it and consider donating a kidney to him. 

There were five or six family members willing to be tested, and I said they could add me to the list of potential donors. We are both blood type A-positive, so I thought we were a match, and it was pretty much as simple as that. I had no idea how much more testing was involved. I’m glad they did so much testing because it gave me a better idea of my overall health and improved the odds of not having his body reject my kidney by being so thorough.

The testing started in April 2024 at University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. I was thinking this could be a one-month deal. If I was selected, by this time next month, he could have a new kidney. But his team was saying it would be Thanksgiving at the earliest if everything went according to plan and there were no setbacks. That’s when I realized it was going to be a longer process, even if I were identified as a match. 

All the other people who had agreed to be tested were eliminated one by one, and it came down to me. I was comfortable with being a donor from day one. Like a lot of things in life, you put things in God’s hands, and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. 

I donated my kidney on November 20, 2024. They told me I would be in the hospital for two or three days minimum, but when I came out of surgery, the nurse said I looked pretty good for just having my kidney removed. The next day, they had me walking a lot, and then they allowed me to go home. 

I only spent one night in the hospital, and they let me go within 24 hours after the surgery because I achieved all of the requirements. Some of the nurses who had been there for 20, 25 years had never seen that happen. I was pleasantly surprised when they let me go home. My friend was released 48 hours after his surgery, and we were both home for Thanksgiving. His kidneys went from functioning at 9% before the surgery to over 90% by the time he left the hospital.

It was painful for the first couple of days. I tried not to take any of the heavy pain medicine. I was fine with the pain because it wasn’t overbearing. 

Normally, they allow people to go back to work in three to four weeks, but I am a firefighter, so for me it was more like six to eight weeks. By the time I got back to work, I was completely comfortable that I could do my job properly.

I was able to start swimming in January 2025, and that helped a lot. By March 2025, I was close to 100%. That month, I did the Bataan Memorial Death March in White Sands National Park. I signed up for that race in March of 2024, which was just before I knew I would potentially be donating a kidney later that year. The race was tough because I had to carry a 35-pound rucksack for 26.2 miles.

In my lifetime, I have completed a full Ironman in Lake Placid, New York, and at least one full marathon on every continent (including Antarctica), but I was worried about doing such a tough race so soon after my surgery. Since I was already signed up for the Bataan race, I used that as motivation to get back in shape after my surgery.

My goal for that was just to finish the race and not worry about my finishing time because I did not want to risk injury. I’m glad I did that race because it gave me confidence that I would be able to go back to the same lifestyle I had before the kidney donation. 

In June of 2025, I went on a 30-day road trip. I hiked in 20 different National Parks, including a hike to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite.

I would encourage anyone reading this to know that you can certainly get back to your same active lifestyle within a short amount of time after your surgery, so you might as well try to help someone’s life in the meantime. It truly will be one of the most rewarding things you do in your life!

About the Author

Dan McBennett has lived in Lorain, Ohio, his whole life, except for his four years of active duty in the Air Force and two years at Kent State University. After active duty, he served 18 years in the Ohio Air National Guard. He retired in 2015 as the Deputy Fire Chief after three deployments to Iraq and 22 total years of military service. He has worked full-time for the Lorain Fire Department for over 25 years and is currently a Lieutenant. He has been married to his lovely wife for over 20 years, and they have two wonderful sons, J.D. and Noah.  In his spare time, Dan enjoys traveling with his family. He has been to all 50 states and 51 countries. His sons, ages 15 and 12, have each been to 47 states with the hopes of traveling to their 50th state in 2026. Dan also likes running, having run a full marathon on all seven continents and completed one full Ironman. He also enjoys scuba diving and is part of the Lorain Fire Department Dive Team. Many of Dan’s family, friends, and coworkers have told him that he’s inspired them to consider donating a kidney in the future, which makes him very happy.