Maria Arce’s family couldn’t imagine life without their matriarch. When they learned she needed a kidney transplant, everyone volunteered to be donors.
“We didn’t want to lose her,” says son-in-law Eduardo Flores, one of several family members who got tested. “We’re a very close family, and Maria keeps us together.”
Maria’s transplant journey began at age 28 when doctors diagnosed her with cystinuria. This inherited disease causes cystine stones to form in the kidneys. Doctors found her right kidney packed with stones, so they had to remove it.
She battled her kidney stones for 30-plus years. But in 2022, Maria learned her remaining kidney was failing. Doctors referred her to UPMC Harrisburg, where she was placed on the transplant waitlist. Eleven months later, Maria was undergoing dialysis three days a week at a local clinic.
She spent a year on dialysis while the transplant team helped Maria and her family prepare for surgery. “My health was declining, but everyone stepped up,” says Maria, mother of two and grandmother of four. “I knew this would change my life. But I was afraid for them. It’s a big decision.”
After extensive testing of her family members, doctors approved Maria’s sons-in-law as donors. Only Eduardo was a direct match. “I wanted to do this to make sure Maria had the opportunity to build on her legacy,” says Eduardo.
As the surgery date approached, Eduardo learned he’d be the first living donor patient in central Pennsylvania to undergo a robotic kidney removal. When he heard about the benefits of the minimally invasive procedure — including smaller incisions, quicker recovery, and less pain and scarring — “I was all in!”
On Feb. 6, 2024, Maria and Eduardo went into surgery at UPMC Harrisburg. The following day, she surprised Eduardo by walking into his room. “She was a new person,” he says. “I realized then that I saved her life.”
“I didn’t realize how sick I was until I got his kidney,” admits Maria.
Today, Maria and Eduardo are doing great. They encourage others to consider being living donors. “You can transform someone’s life by giving them a second chance,” says Maria.