Mary Ruth learned about Polycystic Kidney Disease in the mid 1980’s when she was diagnosed while having an ultrasound for an unrelated issue. A few years later, another ultrasound revealed Polycystic Liver Disease. Over the years, the disease slowly but steadily progressed to the point where transplantation of both organs is now her only option. Mary Ruth was on the transplant list at University of North Carolina’s Jason Ray Transplant Clinic in Chapel Hill, NC, for three years and received a new kidney on December 1, 2020. 

“As any transplant candidate knows, after you wrap your mind around the whole issue of transplantation and go through the rigorous and seemingly endless meetings, consultations, and medical testing, the hardest part is the waiting,” says Mary Ruth.

“I have an amazing support team of friends who have come to my rescue numerous times when I’ve had recurring peritonitis from infected cysts that landed me in the emergency room. And my primary support person has made numerous overnight trips to UNC with me and gone through meetings and consults along with me. Another friend held my hand as I got my first Procrit injection for anemia.  I don’t know what I would do without them and their love and support. And now they are also fundraising for COTA in my honor to assist with transplant-related expenses. I am forever grateful.”

Mary Ruth is an artist and sculptor. She is looking forward to the time when she will be able to work in her studio again after the transplant, without the debilitating fatigue that she now experiences.

She would like to thank all people who have made arrangements to be organ donors. “It’s not just a slogan. You truly are giving the gift of life.”

The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA also works with individuals of any age with a single-gene disorder such as Polycystic Kidney Disease, Cystic Fibrosis or Sickle Cell Disease. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.