METAIRIE — In April of 2023, Emily Sofranec, 20, was a freshman at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL). She was “living her best life,” her aunt told UWK.
At some point, she began noticing extreme exhaustion and back-to-back sicknesses. Her family thought is was typical signs of college life. Emily’s aunt, Jill Hannan McDonald said her niece was getting mono and strep throat a lot but they assumed slowing down would do the trick.
“We just kind of dismissed it as, you’re just not letting your body heal before you’re back going out and doing stuff,” McDonald said.
However, when her blood pressure soared into the mid-200s, it became clear that something more serious was at play.
“So that’s basically when they ran several tests, and they could tell that her kidneys aren’t functioning. Her blood pressure was super high,“ she continued.
Rushed to the emergency room, Emily received a life-altering diagnosis: she was in kidney failure and urgently needed a kidney transplant. She spent 29 days in the ICU trying to get her health under control. Once discharged, the complications persisted. The high blood pressure, caused by the kidney disease, caused seizures.
“Basically, her blood pressure was so bad that it threw her into seizures. The amount of medication she was taking in one day for her blood pressure was equal to what a normal person on blood pressure meds would take in a year,” McDonald explained.
As news of Emily’s condition spread, numerous friends and family members volunteered to be kidney transplant donors. After rigorous testing, it was her cousin, Alexis McDonald, 28, who emerged as the perfect match. Her cousin would be the one who donates her kidney.
“My daughter was the one who was ultimately chosen based on a match and willingness to go through with it,” she shared. “That whole process is a lot on a donor, but nothing compared to what Emily was going through.”
The family faced months of emotional ups and downs, but on July 22nd, the long-awaited surgery took place where a cousin donates her kidney to her cousin. Thanks to Alexis being a living donor, the operation was a success.
“The end is not just the kidney transplant. She still has to go to Oschner like three times a week,” she said. McDonald says this situation has made her family passionate about living organ donation.
“By Alexis, my daughter, donating to my niece, there are several benefits. One, the kidney worked immediately. Whereas, if you have a deceased donor kidney, they call it a sleepy kidney. You don’t know if that kidney will wake up for days, weeks or ever. You just never know,” McDonald said.
Living kidney donations significantly improve transplant outcomes, offering better survival rates and faster recoveries for recipients. According to the National Kidney Foundation, about 5,000 living donations occur each year in the United States, accounting for approximately 30% of all kidney transplants. Living donors often lead healthy lives post-donation, making this a viable and critical option for many patients awaiting transplants.
“A living donor’s kidney can last up to 20 years, whereas a deceased kidney donor, I believe, is only like seven to 10 on average,” she continued. “All the doctors say that Alexis’ kidney was a rock star kidney. It was less than 24 hours, and Emily’s kidney was already at a normal function, which from the way they were acting, it’s not typical.”
After the cousin donates her kidney, the bond between Emily and Alexis, which already strong from childhood, has deepened through this shared journey. Their family now passionately advocates for living donor programs, hoping to raise awareness about the life-saving potential of such donations.
“My daughter (Alexis) was just honored that she was the one who could do this and give this gift to her cousin. We also had a lot of community support,” McDonald said. “A lot of people came forward and helped and supported us. We are eternally grateful.”
McDonald tells UWK, Alexis had a tough recovery but she is doing well. Emily continues her recovery surrounded by her supportive family and friends. She is committed and hopeful to continue her studies as soon as she’s released to go back to school.
Anyone wishing to become an organ donor can head to the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, or LOPA, and sign up.
Becoming an organ donor is as simple as adding a heart to a driver’s license at the DMV. Each donor can save up to eight lives.
Anyone wishing to register to donate as a living organ can also register at LOPA.
Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area.
