Meet Matt: ‘You Never Think About a Living Donor Until Someone You Love Needs One’

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Oct 3, 2017 | Mayo Clinic Transplant Staff | @mayoclinictransplantstaff

Jairus “Matt” Pierce’s journey to transplantation began at age 13 following a diagnosis of kidney disease. By age 44, the disease had become debilitating. Matt was receiving daily dialysis and forced to take a light-duty assignment in his job as a shirt commander for the Gila River Fire Department in Arizona. The only long-term solution was a life-saving kidney transplant.

A local news station covered Matt’s story, which was seen by Nicole Bayne, an accountant from Phoenix. Nicole wanted to help. She contacted Mayo Clinic’s campus in Phoenix, where Matt was being treated, and asked to be tested to be a living kidney donor. She figured if she could save one firefighter, Matt, in turn could save many more lives.

Learn how Nicole was the ultimate hero Matt had been waiting for.

Read Matt’s full story.

HELPFUL LINKS

• Read about kidney transplant at Mayo Clinic.
• Explore Mayo’s Transplant Center.
• Request an appointment.