Mom Donates Kidney To Teen Daughter In North Jersey

LIVINGSTON, NJ — This summer, during a kidney checkup, doctors found that 15-year-old Kaitlin Siegel’s kidneys were only functioning at 10 percent, and she needed a transplant or dialysis as soon as possible.

Kaitlin was no stranger to surgery. She had already been through three reconstructive surgeries on her feet due to an inherited mutation in her INF2 gene. The rare nerve disease was now attacking her kidneys.

Kaitlin’s father, Ken, has the same gene mutation, so he wasn't able to donate. In fact, he had already gotten three kidney transplants himself.

But Kaitlin’s mom, Jennifer, got tested, and luckily she was a match.

The family, who live in Clark, N.J., headed to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, which has a kidney and pancreas transplantation program and says it performs the most kidney transplants in the region.

By the end of this past summer, Jennifer and Kaitlin were heading into surgery at Cooperman Barnabas to complete the transplant.

Kaitlin is now getting used to life with a new kidney.

She said she was nervous about the transplant, but she was also excited that she wouldn’t be dizzy, sick, and tired all the time.

“I had a lot of anxiety around my symptoms before with how they limited me and now I can just do things without worrying and live like a 15-year-old,” she said. “I am so grateful my mom was able to give me another chance at life.”

Her dad, who she calls her hero, was also there supporting her.

According to a Cooperman Barnabas spokesperson, "Kaitlin and her parents are grateful they can spend the holiday season together as a healthy family."

Learn more about the kidney transplant program here.