Donor Diaries

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A living donor says "yes." The transplant center says "no." What happens next?
This week on Donor Diaries, we sit down with Diane Hollingsworth, President and CEO of Eversight, a longtime leader in organ and tissue donation, and a two-time kidney transplant recipient. Diane has spent decades helping restore sight through cornea donation while also navigating the transplant journey herself, giving her a perspective that's both deeply personal and professionally unique.
Diane's kidney disease was discovered during a high-risk pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia. She shares what it was like balancing a newborn in the NICU, young children at home, and the reality of starting dialysis before receiving a life-changing kidney from her mother. That first transplant lasted an incredible 33 years.
When it came time for a second transplant, Diane faced an obstacle many families don't expect. One transplant center declined her husband as a living donor, while another approved him. We discuss why transplant centers can make different decisions, how committee reviews influence the process, and how kidney paired exchange allowed her husband, Dave, to donate to a stranger so Diane could receive a compatible kidney before ever needing dialysis again.
Along the way, we also talk about:
What the transplant evaluation and listing process really looks like
Why wait times vary depending on where you're listed and your blood type
How researching transplant centers and asking questions can open new opportunities
A beautiful real-life example of how kidney paired exchange changes lives
The emotional reality of recovering while your donor is in another hospital
Then we explore a topic we haven't covered before on Donor Diaries: cornea donation.
As President and CEO of Eversight, Diane explains what cornea donation is, what tissue is actually transplanted, how eye banks recover and transport donated tissue, why there isn't a waitlist for corneal transplants in the United States, and how donated tissue is restoring sight through transplantation while also advancing research and medical education.
Whether you're waiting for a transplant, considering becoming a living donor, or simply want to better understand how the donation system works, Diane's story is filled with practical advice, hope, and a reminder that persistence, advocacy, and asking the right questions can make all the difference.
Links
Eversight
Diane Hollingsworth
Donor Diaries Website
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GiftWorks Website
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In this episode of Donor Diaries, we sit down with Dr. Amy Waterman, a national leader in transplant health services research and patient engagement at Houston Methodist, to talk about what we know about living donors, and what we are still learning.
Amy has spent her career studying how to help patients and living donors make informed, confident decisions. We talk about why long term living donor research takes decades, why comparison groups matter when studying donor outcomes, and why understanding donor motivations is so important when designing education and support programs.
We also talk about something that does not get discussed enough: donors are not all the same. Amy shares three common donor motivation profiles and how understanding these differences helps transplant centers better support donors before and after surgery. We also talk about donor identity, why some donors stay deeply connected to the donor community while others quietly move on with their lives, and what both experiences can teach us.
Finally, we talk about what helps right now. Peer mentoring. Reducing financial barriers. Education that respects that different donors are motivated by different things. And the growing role of digital storytelling, which allows people who are considering donation to hear real voices and real stories in a low pressure way.
This is a thoughtful conversation about research, decision making, and the very human reasons people choose to become living donors.
Dr. Amy Waterman is a national leader in transplant health services research and serves as Director of Patient Engagement and Education at Houston Methodist. Her work focuses on improving access to transplant, supporting informed decision making, and developing education and engagement tools for transplant patients and living donors. She has led numerous research initiatives, including digital storytelling and patient education programs, and has received nearly $30 million in federal grant funding. Dr. Waterman has authored more than 125 peer reviewed publications and has been recognized by the American Society of Transplantation as a Clinician of Distinction.

Links
The Waterman Lab website
Explore Transplant
Living Donor Collective
Livingdonorstories.org
Donor Diaries Website
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GiftWorks Website
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Denice received her father’s kidney at age 13, decades before modern transplant protocols were common and pediatric dialysis existed. Fifty-eight years later, she is still thriving and using her story to inspire others to be donors.
Denice reflects on a childhood shaped by loss, a diagnosis that changed everything, and a mother who refused to accept no as an answer. She shares the extraordinary circumstances that led to her transplant, paints a vivid portrait of her donor father, and opens up about how grief and gratitude have coexisted throughout her life. With clarity and compassion, Denice also talks about being intersex, reminding us that biology is more complex than simple labels and that acceptance can be life changing.
We explore why her transplant may have lasted so long, including an unusually good match, consistent habits, and decades on azathioprine, along with the medical challenges that came with lifelong immunosuppression. Denice speaks candidly about aging with a transplant, staying active, and continuing to show up fully in the world.
What resonates most is her call to action. Denice invites more healthy people to consider non designated living donation. She describes the halo effect donors often experience, the relief it brings to recipients and families, and the quiet joy that comes from turning courage into connection. Along the way, we honor the legacy of long-term transplant pioneers like Butch Newman and Guinness record holder Joanna Rempel, placing Denice’s journey within a larger story of medical progress and human generosity.
If you have ever wondered whether one decision can ripple outward and change countless lives, this conversation offers a powerful answer. Listen, share with someone who needs hope, and if it moves you, subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more people can find these lifesaving stories.
Links
Ventura County Star Article
UCLA Article
Denice on YouTube
Denice’s 2025 Presentation for the American Society of Transplantation (AST)
About Fraser Syndrome
Donor Diaries Website
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GiftWorks Website
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Being told you need a kidney transplant is overwhelming. Being told you need to go find your own living donor while managing dialysis can feel impossible. For many veterans, that is exactly how the system works today.
In this episode, we sit down with Sharyn Kreitzer, a living kidney donor and longtime transplant professional with nearly three decades of experience in end stage organ disease. Sharyn began her career as a dialysis social worker and went on to work across transplant social work, outreach, development, and administration in both private sector programs and the VA system. In 2015, she launched the first VA transplant program on the East Coast at the Bronx VA. It was there that she saw a gap that could not be ignored, and in 2020 she founded DOVE (Donor Outreach for Veterans) to bring a different kind of support to veterans navigating the transplant process.
We talk about the real barriers veterans face when it comes to living donation. Access to transplant centers is limited. Travel can be a major burden for both recipients and donors. Criteria for donor approval can vary widely from one center to another, leaving willing donors confused and discouraged. Sharyn shares how DOVE steps in once a veteran is evaluated and listed, helping them build a clear, shareable profile that turns a vague need into something people can understand and act on.
A big part of this conversation is about how we engage potential donors. Instead of pushing people straight into long and invasive medical forms, DOVE starts with education and conversation. It is a simple shift, but one that keeps more people engaged and open to learning. We also talk about the importance of second opinions, and how a “no” from one center does not always mean the end of the road.
Throughout the episode, we come back to the idea of community directed donation. Sharyn shares how DOVE was inspired by models like Renewal and what the broader transplant community can learn from groups that have normalized living donation. When communities share the work, more people step forward and more lives are saved.
Sharyn’s work has been recognized across the transplant field, including honors from TRIO, LiveOnNY, the American Association of Kidney Patients, and an innovation award from United Network for Organ Sharing for mobile lab outreach during COVID. She is also helping lead the first ever U.S. Armed Forces Transplant Team at the 2026 Transplant Games in Denver.
If you care about veterans, kidney disease, or the future of living donation, this conversation offers a perspective that is both honest and hopeful.
DOVE Website
Donor Diaries Website
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GiftWorks
Donor Diaries Website
Donor Diaries on Facebook
GiftWorks Website
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You can’t fully understand organ donation until you see what it makes possible. Parents reaching milestones they once thought they might miss. Grandparents meeting grandchildren. Families holding both grief and pride at the same time. 
In this episode of Donor Diaries, we take you to the Transplant Games of America, happening June 18 to 23 in Denver. Often described as a “mini Olympics,” the Games bring together transplant recipients, living donors, and donor families for a week that feels more like a family reunion than a competition.
Laurie is joined by three voices who represent every side of the donation story.
Bill Ryan, donor dad and President and CEO of the Transplant Life Foundation, shares how decades of experience producing large-scale events led him to steward this powerful gathering and why it continues to grow.
Mark McIntosh, founder of Victory Productions and chair of the 2026 Denver host committee, opens up about living with amyloidosis, surviving kidney failure, and receiving a life-saving transplant in 2024. Now a longtime media personality and motivational speaker, he is using his platform to drive awareness around kidney health and living donation.
And Kathleen Hostert, living kidney donor and co-founder of Life’s Short. Live It., shares her deeply personal story of donating a kidney to her husband Craig and walking alongside him through transplant, cancer, and the meaningful years they might not have otherwise had.
Together, they explore what makes the Games so unique, why living donation is a practical and powerful response to the organ shortage, and how this community creates space for both celebration and healing.
You’ll also hear what to expect in Denver, from competitions and ceremonies to the moments in between that are harder to describe but impossible to forget. Kathleen shares updates on a large-scale gathering designed to bring living donors and recipients together in one place, inspired by global milestones and grounded in the idea that generosity can ripple further than we imagine.
With National Donate Life Month as the backdrop, this episode is an invitation to move beyond awareness and into action.
Links
Transplant Life Foundation
Transplant Games of America Website
World Record Attempt Details
Victory Productions
Drive for Five
Craig and Katheen’s Walk

Donor Diaries Website
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GiftWorks Website
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