Celebrating the Gift of Life

By Kari Knight Stevens (1999) | I never thought much about my kidneys. In fact, I probably thought more about kidney beans or kidney-shaped swimming pools than about my own kidneys. Then, in my 30th year, I started thinking about them all the time.

My name is Kari Knight Stevens. I am a 1999 Coca-Cola Scholar, and on November 17, 2011, I donated a kidney to my dad.

It began rather unremarkably, with the sort of discussion so many daughters have with their fathers. I asked my dad if he was feeling well, and he said he was just fine. But he wasn’t fine. His kidneys were dying.

There was denial and disbelief. There were many doctors visited, tests taken, and second opinions sought. Soon there was no denying the problem. Dialysis three times a week became the reality. Quality of life was compromised, and my dad was starting to fade away.

My dad approached the option of a kidney transplant with optimism and hope. Given his age, it was the best alternative if he ever hoped to reclaim his life. The optimism and hope started to wane, however, when the reality of the wait set in. It might take five years. Could he make it that long?

I did the research and, currently, there are more than 90,000 people waiting for a kidney transplant in the United States. It’s daunting.

But I also realized there was something that I could do. This was a problem I could solve. The solution was inside of me.

It took only a few tests to confirm that I was a perfect match. That was the easy part. The hard part was convincing my dad that this was a good idea. Accepting a kidney from his daughter was not an option he was willing to consider. Others stepped up to the plate. So I waited, only to watch my dad’s disappointment each time he was told that another volunteer was not a match.

In the end, my gift to my dad was meant to be.

Early on a Thursday morning in November, I joined my dad, mom, sister, and husband at Lankenau Medical Center, which is right outside of Philadelphia and just a couple of miles from my house. The doctors took me in first. I told my husband I love him, hugged my sister, and thought about how strong my mom had to be that day.

To say the transplant was a success would be an understatement. The miracles of modern medicine will never cease to astound me, and I am so thankful to our dedicated transplant team for their incredible talent and support. It has now been just over six months since the surgery, and I would not even know that I am short an organ but for a few scars. Best of all, my dad has reclaimed his life, and his body is not showing any signs of rejecting my kidney.

It is a very happy Father’s Day indeed.

Kari Knight Stevens, a 1999 Coca-Cola Scholar, is a graduate of Boston College and Temple Law School. She is an attorney at Blank Rome LLP in Philadelphia, where she lives with her husband, Brody and dog, Brooks and also volunteers as a Coke Scholar alumni Regional Coordinator. She is a kidney donor to her dad, Ron Knight, and a supporter of the Gift of Life Donor Program.