Superior Employee Donates Kidney to a Colleague’s Husband

Date: 04/24/23

April is Donate Life Month. You can learn more about organ, eye, and tissue donation here.

Rosemary and Reyna both joined the military after 9/11. While they didn’t serve together, it was the first in a long line of shared experiences that sparked a close friendship that’s lasted more than a dozen years.

After the military, they met at nursing school where they became good friends. They were bridesmaids in each other’s weddings, had babies just three months apart, bought houses across the street from each other, and have worked together at Superior for more than 5 years.

That relationship became even more meaningful in March when Rosemary donated her kidney to Reyna’s husband, Joseph. And thanks to new guidance from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Joseph became the first veteran to receive a living donor kidney transplant in south Texas.

“Joseph started getting sick about two years ago,” said Reyna, a Clinical Trainer for Superior. “We eventually learned that he had a chronic kidney disease. He started dialysis in July 2022 and that’s when the process began of getting him added to the donor list.”

Joseph’s brother wanted to donate his kidney, but he was unable to because he has a rare genetic condition. That’s when Rosemary – realizing she had the same blood type as Joseph – volunteered.

“My husband was a little hesitant at first,” explained Rosemary, a Care Manager with Superior. “But once we learned that donors get put at the top of the list if anything goes wrong with the kidney that’s left, he was on board. We were both at peace with the decision and were ready to get the process going.”

It took months, but Rosemary was finally able to donate her kidney to Joseph on March 23. While the day was overwhelming for everyone involved, the outcome was positive for both Rosemary and Joseph.

“Being a donor was the right thing to do,” Rosemary said. “I’m a nurse, we fix things. It was an automatic response and is something I kind of live by – if you can, then you should. I could, so I did.”

According to Reyna, the transplant was successful. Joseph is no longer on dialysis and is recovering well. And Rosemary – other than being sore and fatigued – is getting better each day. Most importantly, these best friends will be able to watch their families grow, together.

“This was such a big sacrifice for Rosemary,” said Reyna. “We didn’t ask her for this, but she volunteered when she heard Joseph’s brother couldn’t do it. We’re both so grateful to Rosemary for what she’s done for our family.”