Elsa Garza has an autoimmune disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, FSGS, a disease that causes scar tissue on the kidneys.
“I was hanging on by a thread and had stage 5 renal failure,” Garza told KVUE.
Her options were a kidney transplant or dialysis. Luckily, her husband, Robert, was a match and he planned to donate it to her in April. But due to the pandemic her procedure was put on hold.
“It’s really doing a risk benefit analysis,” Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, the director of the University Transplant Center, told Fox San Antonio.
While Elsa’s transplant was postponed, transplants for those who were more critically ill or who were receiving organs from deceased donors still took place.
Without a set date, the possibility of beginning dialysis before the transplant, something she preferred not to do, was real.
Fortunately, as soon as elective surgeries were allowed to begin again, Elsa received a call.
On May 21, Elsa would receive her husband’s kidney.
“It means a lot,” said Elsa. “I married my soulmate. It gives me an opportunity to enjoy the rest of my journey with my husband. He’s given me a second chance of life.”
This makes me so happy. I pray everything goes well and I hope they continue to live a happy and healthy life together.
Share this to wish them both well.
