The University of Toledo Medical Center performed a record 203 kidney transplants in 2023, including the 3,000th transplant in the 50-plus years of the center’s kidney transplant program.
Last year marked the sixth consecutive year of growth for UTMC’s transplant program, with each of the last five years representing a new annual record.
Sherry Baker, who was one of a record 203 individuals who received a kidney transplant at UTMC in 2023, speaks at an October celebration of UTMC’s transplant program. Baker’s procedure was the 3,000th transplant in the hospital’s history.
“We have one of the best and most innovative kidney transplant programs not only in our region, but nationwide,” said Dr. Michael Rees, surgical director of UTMC’s kidney transplant program. “We have the shortest wait time in the United States for adult patients and we continue to see excellent patient outcomes. We’re proud of the work we do here, and there are so many members of the transplant team who deserve credit for our success.”
The median time patients spend from being listed to receiving a transplant at UTMC is less than two and a half months, according to a January 2024 report from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.
That compares to a national average of a little more than two and a half years.
Sherry Baker waited just days to receive her new kidney at UTMC.
The Warsaw, Indiana, resident has IgA nephropathy, an autoimmune disorder that can cause significant kidney damage. Though Baker had a living donor transplant years ago, her condition had recently returned.
In addition to the required dialysis, Baker was suffering from exhaustion, difficulty sleeping, itchy skin, constantly bloodshot eyes and a host of other issues.
In hopes of avoiding what could have been years of grueling dialysis, Baker got listed at centers in her home state as well as Ohio and Michigan.
On June 24, 2023, less than a week after getting officially listed at UTMC, she was in surgery.
“This just gave me my freedom back. I’m healthier. I have more energy. I can do things I wasn’t able to do before,” Baker said. “When your kidneys fail, all you want to do is sleep. You have no energy. I was able to do all the things I wanted to do at Christmas with my family. They had their mother back. I’m so grateful UTMC was able to get me a kidney.”
Baker’s procedure was a milestone for UTMC, representing the hospital’s 3,000th kidney transplant since completing its first in 1972. UTMC celebrated the achievement in October at a banquet that included Baker and other kidney recipients.
UTMC is the only transplant center in northwest Ohio and one of six hospitals statewide that performs adult kidney transplants. The hospital’s transplant program has gone from 65 transplants in 2017 to doing at least 200 in each of the last two years.
For Baker, who has since advocated for others in need of a kidney transplant to consider UTMC, the procedure was both life-changing and life-saving. Two years ago, she underwent open-heart surgery to correct a heart valve problem her doctors said was likely the result of her kidney failure.
With her overall health improved, she hopes to avoid future heart problems. She’s also looking forward to being able to travel again.
“It’s hard to describe. It’s so exciting to know I’ve got the chance to be better and feel better and I’m already doing so much better,” she said. “I’m six months out now, and you really start to feel the difference in energy. Everybody should be so lucky.”
Nationally, more than 46,600 organ transplants were performed in 2023, up from a then-record of 42,887 in 2022. New national transplant records also were set for several organs last year, including kidney, liver, heart and lung.
“These are big milestones, both nationally and for us at UTMC,” said Dr. Kunal Yadav, the transplant surgeon who performed Baker’s procedure. “Sherry’s case was complicated with her history of prior transplant and a positive crossmatch, but we were able to circumvent those issues due to our experience in handling complex transplant related issues. We have a phenomenal kidney transplant program here in Toledo.”
