Child’s drawing leads to lifesaving kidney transplant for her father
10-year-old Camilla's colorful drawing with rainbows, butterflies, and a kidney with a bandage on it was destined for something greater than a spot on the refrigerator. It helped save her dad’s life.
Brian Zenner, of Cottage Grove, Minn., had been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in 2014. He and his wife, Jackie, had largely kept Brian’s health journey private after he was diagnosed. But as his kidney function dropped below 10%, and Brian began dialysis, the family ran out of options. Brian needed a kidney transplant. Out of urgency, Jackie shared Brian’s story publicly, even creating a brochure to explain his need for a living donor.
"When Camilla knocked on my office door and asked if she could help by adding something to the brochure, I didn't think too much of it,” Jackie said. “I never imagined she’d be coming back with such a touching drawing, but she is the artist of the family."
In crayon, Camilla, a fourth grader, added the words, “Please help my daddy find a kidney. Love, Camilla.”
Jackie posted Camilla’s drawing on social media. The post caught the attention of Jennifer Aspen, a mom at Camilla’s school. Though Jennifer didn’t know the family, the message resonated deeply. Having lost her own father at a young age, she felt compelled to act and got tested to see if she was a match.
Learn more about donating a kidney and find out if you qualify.
Finding the right match
Jennifer's kidney wasn’t a match for Brian, but she donated her kidney through the National Kidney Registry’s paired kidney exchange program on his Brian’s behalf. Brian received a kidney from a compatible donor, securing him with a lifesaving transplant. Jennifer’s kidney went to another person.
Both surgeries happened at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center, home to one of the oldest and most successful transplant programs in the world. Nationally, M Health Fairview is a leader in living kidney donations and finding strong kidney matches for patients.
Nationwide, nearly 90,000 people are on the transplant list waiting for a kidney, but only about 9,000 kidneys from deceased donors become available each year. Living donors can help make up that difference by giving one of their two working kidneys.
Kidneys from living donors are considered the best to receive because:
- They last longer than kidneys from deceased donors -- 20 to 25 years on average versus 15 to 20 years.
- They are functional sooner after transplant. Kidneys from deceased donors can take days or weeks to become fully functional after the transplant.
- They are available sooner rather than waiting on the transplant list, which can take up to five years.
At M Health Fairview, transplant teams go beyond standard matching with an advanced approach called eplet matching. This method takes a closer look at how a patient’s immune system might react to a donor kidney, helping identify subtle differences that could lead to rejection.
That helps extend the life of a transplant – with a goal of only needing one transplant.
“With the eplet matching program, we can give people the best possible matches for the best possible outcome,” said Karthik Ramanathan, MD, the transplant surgeon with M Health Fairview and an assistant professor with the University of Minnesota Medical School. “We've always thought of kidney transplant as a repeat business. Young patients like Brian will often outlive their kidney. But the goal is to give him a kidney that hopefully will last him for life. It helps make the sacrifice from Jennifer even more meaningful if this is a cure for him.”
A meaningful thank you
A month after surgery, both Brian and Jennifer are recovering well, and Camilla returned to her art table.
It was time for another drawing: This one featuring butterflies flying high and kidneys with happy faces. It was a thank you to everyone who worked to get her dad a kidney transplant.
