After long search, suburban woman receives life-saving kidney donation
A Plainfield woman who was in search of a kidney donor for over a year has received a life-saving donation after looking at baseball games in Chicago. NBC Chicago first met Christine Todd in August 2023, when she attended a Cubs game at Wrigley Field looking for a life-saver. Todd’s kidneys were enlarged and losing their ability to function. Todd was living with polycystic kidney disease, or PKD, a genetic disorder that causes fluid-filled sacs, called cysts, to grow in the kidneys. The cysts can then damage the kidneys, causing the organs to enlarge and lose their ability to filter waste from the blood. While a typical kidney is the size of a fist, Christine’s were about the size of a football. Todd needed to find a living donor, and attended a White Sox game earlier this year with the same mission as last year’s trip to Wrigley Field. Todd’s family wore t-shirts while carrying a banner detailing her story, which was later shared on social media. The message was seen by the mother of Chris Beck, a high school biology teacher who lives outside Richmond, Virginia. Beck previously donated part of his liver to a young girl, and corresponded with Todd after being notified of her search by his mother. Beck turned out to be a perfect match for Todd, leading to Todd receiving the new kidney in a procedure at Loyola University Medical Center last month. “Through the help of my husband, pushing and pushing, it worked. I’m very grateful for that,” Todd said. Though Todd has a long list of people to thank as she recovers and gets back to her normal self, one person in particular stands out – her donor. “I just cannot thank him enough, that he chose me. He also has a family,” Todd said. Beck said his donation was simply setting “an example.” “That is the type of world I want to live in. I would hope someone would do it for me, my kids or my wife,” Beck said.
A Plainfield woman who was in search of a kidney donor for over a year has received a life-saving donation after looking at baseball games in Chicago.
NBC Chicago first met Christine Todd in August 2023, when she attended a Cubs game at Wrigley Field looking for a life-saver.
Todd’s kidneys were enlarged and losing their ability to function.
Todd was living with polycystic kidney disease, or PKD, a genetic disorder that causes fluid-filled sacs, called cysts, to grow in the kidneys.
The cysts can then damage the kidneys, causing the organs to enlarge and lose their ability to filter waste from the blood.
While a typical kidney is the size of a fist, Christine’s were about the size of a football.
Todd needed to find a living donor, and attended a White Sox game earlier this year with the same mission as last year’s trip to Wrigley Field.
Todd’s family wore t-shirts while carrying a banner detailing her story, which was later shared on social media.
The message was seen by the mother of Chris Beck, a high school biology teacher who lives outside Richmond, Virginia.
Beck previously donated part of his liver to a young girl, and corresponded with Todd after being notified of her search by his mother.
Beck turned out to be a perfect match for Todd, leading to Todd receiving the new kidney in a procedure at Loyola University Medical Center last month.
“Through the help of my husband, pushing and pushing, it worked. I’m very grateful for that,” Todd said.
Though Todd has a long list of people to thank as she recovers and gets back to her normal self, one person in particular stands out – her donor.
“I just cannot thank him enough, that he chose me. He also has a family,” Todd said.
Beck said his donation was simply setting “an example.”
“That is the type of world I want to live in. I would hope someone would do it for me, my kids or my wife,” Beck said.
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