UW Health kidney transplant recipient and donor meet for the first time

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Two women met in person for the first time since one of them made the life-saving decision to donate her kidney to a stranger at UW Health.

Liz Schumacher was born in Wisconsin and has undergone four kidney transplants at UW Health in Madison since she was 10. On Thursday, the 52-year-old met in person for the first time her most recent donor, Shelly Hawbecker, also from Wisconsin.

Schumacher now lives in Chicago and Hawbecker lives in Portland, Oregon.

“I feel like I know her,” Schumacher said. “She feels like a sister to me. Part of it is because a piece of her is inside me and is now mine.

The transplant operation took place a year ago and immediately after the operation Schumacher got up, went to walk down the corridor, saw Hawbecker from afar and said she knew she was his donor. “I didn’t know her, but I saw her walking down the halls. I knew she was the donor, I knew it,” she said. “There wasn’t really any doubt in my mind. I saw her and just thought she was my donor. So I said to the nurse, “Can we follow this person?” The answer was no, because it is an anonymous process. However, after months, the two eventually FaceTimed and met up in the UW Health rooftop garden.

Woman receives 4th kidney donation at UW Health, meets donor — Woman receives fourth kidney transplant donation at UW Health, meets her donor(Marcus Aarsvold)

Melissa Schaffer, transplant coordinator at UW Health, said a meeting between a donor and recipient is rare.

“They don’t all get to meet each other, so it’s a really special moment when they do,” she said. “Two incredible women. I am really happy and delighted for them. »

Hawbecker was inspired to donate his kidney to a stranger after seeing a billboard and knowing that as a member of the National Kidney Foundation, his donation would help another friend of his who also needed a kidney.

“I want to touch the person and be together, it’s amazing,” she said. “To be able to impact someone’s life is pretty amazing. So, feel really honored. I really hope more people think about it.”

Both women said they will always be present in each other’s lives from now on.

“I’m really really excited to have a friend like this in my life forever,” Schumacher said.

She also said the circle was complete because, under the foundation’s program, Schumacher was placed on the list because her cousin made a voucher possible when she also anonymously donated her kidney to a stranger.

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