David and Matt Maddux: A living donor story
When David Maddux found out he had kidney failure and needed a transplant, his brother Matt jumped at the chance to save his life.
On Dec. 9, 2022, The Transplant Institute at Research Medical Center completed a first-of-its-kind surgery in the Kansas City area.
“I am pleased to announce that we have successfully completed our first robotic living donor nephrectomy and transplant thanks to volunteer donor, Matt Maddux, who gifted his brother, David, a kidney,” said Naftali Presser, MD, Surgical Director. “We are proud to be the only Kansas City-based transplant program who offers living donor nephrectomy via robotics.”
The procedure involves removing a kidney from a healthy, living individual (donor) and transplanting it into a recipient in need. In this procedure, the recipient’s operation was completed by Dr. Presser while the donor operation was completed by Alice Crane, MD, Transplant Surgeon. Urologist Alosh Madala, MD, who has experience in robotics, was also on hand as additional asset during the procedure, complimenting Dr. Crane’s expertise in robotic transplant nephrectomies.
“Living donor kidneys last longer than kidneys of a deceased donor, and they work faster,” says Dr. Crane. “Living donors are among the heroes of transplant. I am happy to offer them a minimally invasive surgical option to minimize their pain and length of stay.”
As of 2021, more than 90,000 people were on the national waitlist for a kidney, yet living donors only accounted for 6,500 of 24,000 donations; 10 total living donor transplants were performed at RMC in 2022 alone. Family members, among others, can play an important role in shortening the waitlist, making a transplant possible for many; as was the case with the Maddux brothers.
“My brothers [Matt and James] and I were all born into the same family but were put up for adoption. We were fortunate to have all been adopted into the same family, allowing us to grow up together,” says David, 41, of Council Bluffs, Iowa. “Being adopted, however, I did not have many health records from our birth family.”
Lack of access to medical history would prove to be a complication for David who, in May of 2021, began feeling unwell only to be rushed to the emergency room after being found incoherent in his shower. Tests revealed he had kidney failure and needed a transplant. Almost immediately, his brother Matt, 38, of Lancaster, SC, offered one of his kidneys should he be a match.
“I was involved in an accident where a car I was working on fell on top of me. I know I shouldn’t even be alive,” says Matt, who was a kidney match. “When the opportunity came up, there was no second guessing my purpose. I had my children and brother to live for. I knew helping him was a reason I was still here.”
David and Matt grew close after the death of their brother James in 2013 from a car accident. Golfing has become a shared hobby along with baseball; Matt is an avid Atlanta Braves fan like their brother James was, and David’s love for the Chicago Cubs was passed down to him from their adoptive grandmother and dad. With the news of David’s need for a new kidney, the brothers formed a new hobby — keeping each other healthy.
“I hadn’t kept up with my health since my early 20s. When I realized I had kidney failure, one of the many tests revealed I had high blood pressure so I recommended Matt get a checkup, too. His was also high, but not nearly as out of control as mine. Now his is under control,” David says. “We were both smokers who quit around my hospitalization, and still are former smokers to this day.”
With Dr. Crane’s expertise in robotics, which allows for more degrees of operative freedom than a traditional laparoscopic procedure, choosing Research Medical Center was an easy decision for the brothers, even with David and Matt living in different parts of the country.
“Our father lives in Kansas City. We scheduled a visit in March of 2022 and met with the staff and nurses. We were blown away by what we learned from the care team, including what the procedure was and recovery time would look like. I knew after this visit that Research Medical Center was my choice,” David says. “On the day of the procedure, oddly me nor Matt were nervous. Both Dr. Crane and Dr. Presser were very informative and knowledgeable.”
Matt was discharged three days post operation, the same day as David, just in time for him to be allowed to travel back home to spend Christmas with his family.
Since the procedure, both David and Matt are doing well. This procedure, David says, brought them even closer together; he intends to move to South Carolina to live near Matt and his family, which includes his wife, five children and one grandchild.
“I am forever grateful to Matt for his gift of life,” David says. “Not long ago, I was scared my journey in life had come to an end. Life means so much more to me now after going through this and having support from family and friends.”
Lastly, both brothers acknowledged the dedicated staff of The Transplant Institute at Research Medical Center and how they gave them both a chance at life and continued brotherhood.
“They truly went above and beyond,” Matt says, while David said “not only were they outstanding, they were friendly, understanding and, most of all, lifesaving. I can’t say enough about the interactions and experiences you have left on me and my family.”
Visit the HCA Midwest Health living donor website to learn more about the program at the Transplant Institute at Research Medical Center.