SAN ANTONIO – It was a reunion full of gratitude between a San Antonio transplant doctor and the man she donated a kidney to back in 2021.
Joel Gonzalez surprised Dr. Kelley Hitchman on Monday at her lab for what he called their fifth “kidney anniversary.”
KSAT has been reporting on the transplant pair for years now, including Hitchman’s journey to climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro after the successful transplant to spread awareness about living donors and show people the healthy life a donor can still live.
KSAT also spoke with Gonzalez about how he is now thriving, and the importance of living donors.
This week, he coordinated with family and staff to surprise Hitchman with a gift and flowers.
“Thank you for saving my life,” he said during the reunion hug caught on camera.
Hitchman, who leads University Health’s Transplant Institute, saw how her patients struggled, which is why she decided to become a living donor.
“It’s his kidney. Clearly, it was always meant for him, so I am always so grateful to see him and grateful for his friendship,” Hitchman told KSAT after the reunion.
Gonzalez is working full time, supporting other transplant patients and getting to be a husband, dad and grandfather.
“He’s been through so much, and he’s one of the most positive people, the most optimistic people I think I’ve ever met,” Hitchman said. “I think we could all learn something from a Joel, from having a Joel in our lives,”
Hitchman said their story is proof of how crucial living donors are.
“There are about 6,000 to 7,000 people in the United States every year that make this choice to say ‘yes’ to kidney donation, and that’s wonderful,” she said. “But there are about 109,000 or 110,000 people waiting on our list right now. And the majority of those are waiting for a kidney.”
The wait time for the deceased donor transplant list is five to seven years. Hitchman said transplants are far more successful when they come from living donors.
That’s why she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro two years ago — to show people how safe and fulfilling it is.
“My healing was really very straightforward. I’m just as healthy, if not healthier,” Hitchman said. “It’s a safe thing to do and more people are needed to do it.”
She hopes more people will be inspired to sign up and give people like Gonzalez a true second chance at life.
Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a living donor can visit University Health’s Transplant Institute website, which has a page for living donors.
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