the world's longest ever kidney donation chain linked its final donor to ailing recipient last month when a wisconsin woman became the 34th person whose life was saved by the record setting program mitzi neyens, 77, was successfully matched with a philadelphia man after turning to the national kidney registry's paired exchange program  her only option since her age barred her from receiving a deceased donor's organ when she received the kidney march 26, the operation completed a nationwide chain that linked strangers from san diego to boston who have loved ones in need with patients desperately in need of a transplant 32 lives saved: mitzi neyens, 77, (left) was the last link in a chain of 34 kidney transplants  the world's longest such chain to date she received a kidney because her husband bill gave his kidney to a patient in need  unbreakable love: neyens has suffered from kidney disease for most of her 53 year marriage to bill she received a kidney march 26 thanks to his generosity  on the day of neyen's transplant, eight surgeons in four states linked five hospitals through transplants neyen, who's battled kidney disease much of her life, received her kidney after her husband  who was not a match for her  gave his kidney to someone else in need in turn, neyen received an organ from matt crane, 55, who lives outside of philadelphia, reports abc news crane's wife michele's type 1 diabetes caused her to need a new kidney, which she received thanks to her husband's donation 'if it took for me to give my kidney to somebody in order to get michele a good healthy kidney, i'm ready to do it,' crane told abc, which will air a story about the record breaking chain on nightline on tuesday evening the last length of this historic chain began at the university of medical center in baltimore when latwanya goslee donated a kidney on behalf of her brother, who'd already received a transplant her kidney was driven 250 miles to allegheny general hospital in pittsburgh, where it was transplanted into gary watson a friend of watson's daughter, 44 year old paralegal christine brock, donated the kidney that allowed watson to receive a transplant her organ was flown 368 miles to new jersey then picked up by a courier and driven to new york city starts with altruism: the chain that ended with neyes receiving a lifesaving transplant began months prior when minneapolis attorney kathy hart gave a kidney without having a loved one in need of a transplant (file) a kidney was then taken from new york to philadelphia and transplanted into michele crane her husband matt's kidney was removed and taken to madison, wisconsin via a flight to chicago and a 133 mile drive that's where neyen's received it et, voila as abc notes, these chains can't start without a donor who gives his or her kidney in exchange for nothing this particular chain began with kathy hart, a minneapolis attorney, who told abc her unbelievably altruistic choice was an easy one to make 'i think the fact that it was to a stranger is one of the parts that people have a really hard time grasping but it actually even makes it easier,' she said 'from the very beginning i didn't have an attachment to the outcome or any judgment attached to who gets it or who's deserving… i have an opportunity to give, and why wouldn't i?'
three months wisconsin mitzi neyens 77 march 26
the life saving trend saves lives by allowing donors to give kidneys to strangers in order for a loved one to receive a kidney . twenty six hospitals were involved in the record setting chain over the course of three months . wisconsin recipient mitzi neyens, 77, became the final link in the chain march 26 