DCN Center News

Kidneys from living donors tend to be healthier and last longer than kidneys from deceased donors. It also increases the number of kidneys available for people who need them.

When a friend announced he needed a kidney transplant, Amy Anderson, a Fairview pharmacist, didn’t hesitate. She registered to be a living donor and – soon after – discovered she was a match.

This spring, retired police officer and volunteer firefighter Dale Sorensen became the 10,001st kidney transplant recipient at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center.

The gift of life is precious. The M Health Fairview Donor Care Unit will allow our transplant team to more efficiently and effectively recover deceased donor organs, saving lives on the transplant waiting list.

First, Cooper Thompson received prioritized status for a kidney when one woman donated on his behalf. Then, he received an actual organ from fellow Minnesotan Ali Hansen. The generosity of the two strangers led to his successful transplant at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital.

Over the course of his 21-year surgical career, transplant surgeon Srinath Chinnakotla, MD, who also serves as a surgical director for both our liver transplant program and pediatric abdominal transplant team, has performed over 1,600 life-changing transplant surgeries, with a special focus on pediatric transplantation.

Through a paired organ exchange and the latest matching technology, Gavin Dahms received a kidney transplant exactly 17 years to the day after his first at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital.

A 5-year-old’s need for a new kidney led to a paired exchange kidney transplant that united three families from across Minnesota.