Kelly Wright, DVM, was watching the 2013 Rose Parade with her family and was struck by the Donate Life float and its participants. She decided on the spot that she would donate a kidney to a stranger and signed up on the National Kidney Registry. Then via Facebook she connected with a man in North Reading, Mass. who wound up as the recipient of Kelly's gift of life. "I will never have a bigger accomplishment in my life than having one of my kidneys working inside of another human who may have died without it, Kelly proclaimed. "Living donation is a blessing for both donor and recipient."

Kelly's Story

"On January 1, 2013, I sat in my living room and watched the Rose Parade with my family. As the Donate Life float passed by with donors and recipients sitting side by side, I started to think about the few times in my life that I faced an opportunity to offer one of my kidneys to save a life," said Dr. Kelly Wright, a veterinarian. A friend's son, who had been born with a congenital abnormality, had been in renal failure for the second time after a kidney donation from his father years earlier failed. "I was unable to follow through with donating in his time of need and had often felt bad about that. I turned to my husband on New Year's Day and announced that this would be the year I would donate my kidney to help a stranger.

"My husband looked at me like I was crazy. Despite the look, he knew I was serious. When I say I want to do something, very few things will stand in my way."

Kelly immediately registered online with the National Kidney Registry to be considered as a living donor for a person in need. She then discovered a living kidney donation Facebook page. Karen made a comment on the timeline that she was willing to give her O-positive kidney to whoever needed it.