Two years ago was the worst Mother’s Day of Maria Castro Camacho’s life. The medications that her eldest son, 24-year-old Santiago Castro Camacho, was taking to keep his kidneys functioning had stopped working, and he was forced to go on dialysis.
A kidney transplant was the best option for Santiago’s long-term health, and he was placed on a waiting list for a new organ. But due to a shortage of available donors, doctors estimated it would be seven years before a kidney became available.
Maria’s thoughts returned to one of her darkest childhood memories. Decades prior, 15-year-old Maria had tried to donate one of her kidneys to her brother Medardo, whose kidneys were failing. But they weren’t a match, and Medardo died waiting on a kidney transplant. He was 24 years old at the time, just like Santiago.
“When doctors told them the result that my mother wasn’t matched with him, it was very sad for both,” Santiago said.
Maria saw firsthand through her brother Medardo what could happen to a person who had to wait too long for a new kidney, and she feared Santiago would face the same fate. So when it came time for Santiago to need a transplant, she wanted to try again to be a living organ donor.