Donor Diaries
Laurie Lee
Publishing Details
About This Podcast
Donor Diaries is a podcast that delves into the beauty and complexity of living organ donation. Tune in to hear extraordinary stories of people who choose to share their organs and give the gift of life. The world of kidney and organ donation is a powerful testament to kindness, love, and the human spirit.
With over 90,000 individuals on the kidney transplant waitlist and about 13 people dying each day while waiting, the urgency is real. One in three Americans is at risk for chronic kidney disease, and one in nine already suffers from it, often unknowingly.
Donor Diaries offers unfiltered narratives from living donors and candid insights from transplant experts, aiming to elevate the conversation around organ donation. Our goal is to bring this crucial issue to the forefront, so no patient has to wait in vain or suffer needlessly.
Podcasting 2.0 Features
Social Media
Explore Statistics
Recent Episodes
S4E6 A World Record Kidney: 58 Years and Still Going | EP 41
Send us Fan MailDenice received her father’s kidney at age 13, decades before modern transplant protocols were common and pediatric dialysis existed. Fifty-eight years later, she is still thriving…
S4E5 DOVE: Changing How Veterans Find Kidney Donors | EP 40
Send us Fan MailBeing told you need a kidney transplant is overwhelming. Being told you need to go find your own living donor while managing dialysis can feel impossible. For many veterans, that is…
S4E4 The Transplant Games of America: Where Donation Comes Alive | EP 39
Send us Fan MailYou can’t fully understand organ donation until you see what it makes possible. Parents reaching milestones they once thought they might miss. Grandparents meeting grandchildren.…
S4E3 Workplace Support That Changes Everything | 38
Send us Fan MailWhat if a simple HR policy could help save someone’s life? In this episode, Brooke Iarkowski, Transplant Community Program Manager at the American Society of Transplantation, shares…
S4E2 From One Kidney To Many | EP 37
Send us Fan MailOne kidney can change many lives—if we let it start a chain. We sit down with Dr. John Friedewald, transplant nephrologist at Northwestern Medicine, to unpack a breakthrough: using a…
S4E1 Choosing Life: Renal Warriors Wilson & Amy | EP 36
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Donor Diaries, we sit down with transplant recipient Wilson Du and living kidney donor Amy McCann, two people whose stories intertwine through determination,…
S3E10 Kidney Pledges, Pet Care, and Paychecks: The Unexpected Support System for Living Donors with the APKD | EP 35
Send us Fan MailSue Rees returns to share the revolutionary donor protections offered by the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation (APKD) that are making kidney donation more accessible and equitable…
S3E9 Building a Legacy of Life: The Origins of the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation | EP 34
Send us Fan MailWhat happens when a transplant surgeon, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, and a willingness to trust strangers come together? A revolution in kidney donation that has saved 20,000…
S3E8 2 Pastors and a Kidney Voucher | EP 33
Send us Fan MailA spiritual calling, a kidney voucher, and two pastors reconnecting after decades apart—this is no ordinary transplant story.When Jim Pearl was diagnosed with Fabry's disease in 2004,…
S6E7 Could a Facebook Scroll Save Your Life? | EP 32
Send us Fan MailWhat if a casual Sunday scroll through Facebook could save a life? In this heartfelt episode of Donor Diaries, Rich and Cali share the extraordinary story of how a social media post…
S3E6 The Gift of Hope with Dr. Harry Wilkins | EP 31
Send us Fan MailJoin us on Donor Diaries as we welcome Dr. Harry Wilkins, CEO of Gift of Hope, who transitioned from a 36-year career as a trauma surgeon to leading an organ procurement organization…
S3E5 Transporting Second Chances- When Kidneys Fly | EP 30
Send us Fan MailJoin us as we welcome the extraordinary Mike Lollo, a former NYPD detective whose journey led him to become a passionate advocate for kidney donation. Mike's life took an inspiring…
S3E4 Find Your Kidney Donor Now: Taking Charge of Your Journey with Marilyn Day | EP 29
Send us Fan MailJoin us as we sit down with Marilyn Day, a founding member of Transplant Village and a two-time kidney recipient who has dedicated over a decade to guiding others through the…
S3E3 Healing, Sobriety, and Connection with Triple Donor Anthony Cernera | EP 28
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Anthony Cernera, a three-time living organ donor, opens up about his transformative journey of giving and personal healing. His story began with a simple Facebook…
S3E2 German Kidney Exchange: Crossing Oceans to Give the Gift of Life | EP 27
Send us Fan MailWhat would compel an American living in Germany to navigate a labyrinth of legal and cultural barriers to donate a kidney to a stranger? Join us as we uncover the incredible story of…
S3E1 A Senior Donor’s Unwavering Generosity | EP 26
Send us Fan MailHow old is too old to save a life? At the age of 74, Tom Duncan defied societal norms to become America's oldest non-directed living kidney donor, and his story will change the way…
S2E12 Living Donors: Shedding Pounds to Save Lives | EP 25
Send us Fan MailImagine stepping into a world where giving the gift of life is made more accessible to all. That's the transformative journey we embark on with Ruby Rorty and Rachel Watson in the…
S2E11 Discovering the Unexpected Rewards of Donating a Kidney to a Stranger | EP 24
Send us Fan MailImagine opening your heart to a complete stranger in one of the most profound ways possible. That's exactly what our guests, Josiah Wolfson and Kat Gordon, did when they each made the…
S2E10 Nutcracker Kidneys with LJ the Medium | EP 23
Send us Fan MailLJ Dong, also known as LJ the Medium, embodies resilience and determination in her journey with Nutcracker Syndrome. Despite facing significant health challenges, LJ's refusal to…
S2E9 Tax Credits Can Save Lives | EP 22
Send us Fan MailImagine a world where living kidney donors are compensated for their life-saving gift. A world where a severe shortage of kidneys doesn't result in the preventable deaths of over a…
Frequently Asked Questions
Donor Diaries has published 42 episodes since May 2021, covering topics in Documentary, Health & Fitness.
Donor Diaries is currently highly active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 31m.
Similar Podcasts
An Arm and a Leg
An Arm and a Leg
165 episodes
Outlawed
Beverly Gray & Jonas Swartz
33 episodes
Invisible Force
CAIREreporting.org & Tobias Gilk
12 episodes
Life and Sirens
Life and Sirens Podcast
82 episodes
So She Slays Podcast
Chauncey Woods & Heather Young
227 episodes
MD Roundtable
Ted
29 episodes