Kidneys for Kids: Brian Martindale's Story

On January 11, 2013, Brian Martindale donated one of his kidneys to 10-year-old Jessica Schwerin from Bay City. Brian will share his inspiring story about becoming a living donor and how it launched Kidneys for Kids. He will also talk about his upcoming 48-state/50-city quest to enlist 100 adults to become living kidney donors to 100 children on the donor waitlist.  

“I am a living example. I can still do the same things with one kidney as I did with two. Your life will not change. If you are a healthy adult with normal kidney function and give away or donate your spare kidney, your life will not change. The functions of your body will not change. You can save a life even if you don’t meet the person who receives it,” Brian Martindale.

There are 1,100 children in the United States alone that need to receive a kidney immediately, and there are over 9,800 children on dialysis or additional treatment who also need a kidney. Five thousand people die each year while waiting for a kidney donor.