First Kidney Donor to Benefit from Robotic Nephrectomy Technology

Tammy Cordes, 60, thought about becoming a kidney donor for many years — but hadn’t taken the steps to make it happen. However, she was greatly inspired by a friend who donated a kidney, and Tammy knew it was time for her to move forward.

“I wanted to give back because I am blessed with good health,” Tammy said. Her selfless gift to another person would be one of her kidneys.

“I never had to think about dialysis or chronic kidney disease. I’ve learned it can be painful and exhausting, and people must plan their lives around their dialysis schedule. Becoming

a donor is a real game-changer for anyone who needs an organ,” she said.

Her decision was particularly extraordinary because Tammy had never had surgery before. Her heroic act of selflessness occurred on September 26, 2022, at Trinity Health Grand Rapids.

Cutting-edge Technology

The surgery — a donor nephrectomy — was a first for her. It was also a first for her surgeon, Joel Stracke, DO, who performed the first robotic donor nephrectomy for the Trinity Health Kidney Transplant Center in Grand Rapids. Trinity Health Grand Rapids’ transplant center is the second transplant center in the state to have performed this innovative approach to kidney donation.

“It involves removing a kidney from one healthy patient to donate to a patient who has renal/kidney failure,” said Stracke.

Previously, nephrectomies were performed laparoscopically, using small incisions, with the surgeon using his hands during the procedure.

“With a robotic procedure, we are still making incisions into the abdomen, but instead of using just two hands, a surgeon has four robotic arms available at one time to also control the instruments and camera,” Stracke said. “The nice thing about this approach is that we are able to make the large incision needed to remove the kidney much lower on the patient’s abdomen — under the pant line.”

The surgeon sits at a console approximately eight feet from the patient and in the same room. The surgical team for this technique has one additional member tasked with switching instruments in the robot arms for the surgeon.

Stracke says that the ultimate goal is to perform the surgeries for the donor and recipient with robotic technology, but for now, it is used solely for the donors.

The robot not only offers remarkable precision during surgery, but studies have shown that following a robotic donor nephrectomy, patients experience less pain and less need for narcotics.

Extraordinary Donors

“Living donors are extraordinary,” Stracke said. “We have people who want to donate to a family member (directed donation), along with donors who want to give their kidney to a person they do not know (non-directed). Both types of donors are equally extraordinary. They provide a huge benefit to the recipients.”

In Michigan, it is not unusual to wait 5–7 years for a kidney, which most often will come from a deceased donor. During that wait, patients may have to be on dialysis.

Whenever possible, it is more advantageous to receive a kidney from a living donor because a deceased donor’s kidney typically lasts 7–10 years, while a kidney from a living donor typically lasts 12–15 years.

“When patients receive a kidney from a living donor, they are able to get off dialysis sooner and stay off it longer,” Stracke shared.

Val’s Gift from Heaven

After making the decision to donate a kidney, an online search led Tammy to Trinity Health Grand Rapids. She explored the website and decided that’s where she wanted to go. The Trinity Health Grand Rapids Kidney Transplant Center has performed more than 1,100 kidney donor nephrectomies in the 49 years of the program’s history.

“I was drawn to Trinity Health Kidney Transplant Center because it is specifically a kidney center, which is what I was looking for.”

Originally, Tammy wanted to be a non-directed donor by giving her kidney to a stranger. But last summer, she learned her sister-in-law, Val, was on dialysis.

“I was going to dialysis three times a week,” Val said, “and was very disappointed that my chances of getting a deceased donor’s kidney were slim.”

Val, 69, had serious medical conditions that, combined with her age, made it unlikely that she would receive a kidney, even though she was on the national transplant waiting list through Trinity Health Grand Rapids.

Despite facing a possible remainder of her life on dialysis, Val shared that she would not have been comfortable asking any family member to see if they were a match.

“I called Val to see if she would like to consider me for a donor, and I think she was stunned,” Tammy recalled.

“When Tammy called, I felt like God was reaching down from heaven and saying, ‘Here is your kidney.’ Tammy told me that Trinity Health Grand Rapids Kidney Transplant Center was the place where we should both apply for completing a transplant. We did everything they asked us to do in record time."

According to the National Kidney Foundation, “a parent and child would have at least a 50 percent chance of matching, siblings could have a zero to 100 percent match, and unrelated donors would be less likely to match at all.”

Tammy shared that she and Val had been praying about being a tissue match. “The fact that we are not blood relatives, yet three of our six chromosomes match is highly unusual. We were very excited. God orchestrated every detail through this process. There were so many miracles along the way, from the timing of it, to the fact that my sister-in-law and I were a compatible match … and more.”

“More than a 10”

Val was thrilled with the care she received at Trinity Health. “I’ve been in a lot of hospitals, and I think God sent Trinity Health down from heaven to care for people. The medical team is made up of angels. They are so far above a 10! They are incredible. I can’t say enough good things about them. They are absolutely kind. Every one of them.”

Tammy agreed. “Dr. Stracke and the donor team were some of the most caring, skilled professionals I’ve ever met,” said Tammy. “Each time I was at the Kidney Transplant Center, I received the ‘Royal Treatment.’ The wait times were minimal, the staff kept me informed, and they answered all of the questions my husband and I had.”

The Surgery

“Sophia’s House on the hospital campus was another blessing. It was a safe, clean, calm, comfortable place Val and I could stay with our husbands the night before surgery — and where our husbands could stay while we were in the hospital — at no cost!” (thanks to a grant from Grand Guys).

“After surgery, the first week was pretty rough,” Tammy recalled, but never having had major surgery before, she admitted she underestimated what to expect. After the first week, she started feeling a little better every day.

Now, back on her feet and feeling great, Tammy’s prognosis is excellent. She reflects on her experience this way: “This has been a remarkable journey. It has been a time of personal growth that’s been exciting, challenging, and very rewarding. I have no regrets. Most of all, I am so grateful to have played a role in helping to save a life.”

Before her surgery, Val mentioned to her surgeon, Joel Green, MD, that a lot of people were praying for his hands. “Would you like to have prayer before we go in?” he asked.

“Dr. Green offered a prayer, and it took my anxiety level to zero. It was fabulous. I’ve never had a surgeon offer a prayer before surgery. I knew

I was in the right place.”

“When I woke up from surgery, I could breathe so much better,” Val recalled. Dr. Green understood her relief. He explained that as soon as he made the last stitch, her new kidney began to function.

Now weeks later, Val says overall, she feels good. “I had very little pain throughout. I’m like a little train going up the track…chug, chug, chug up the hill…and then I fall back down a bit. I am impatient and would like to progress faster. I am also spending more time in the bathroom now that I have a functioning kidney,” she said while laughing.

Looking forward to returning to some kind of normalcy, Val says she wants to do something more with her life. “I know there is something special I’m supposed to do, but I don’t know what it is yet.”

We have no doubt that God will let Val know His plans for her when the time is right.

Tammy and Val say God was with them every step of the way. Tammy now hopes to encourage others who are also considering becoming a donor to learn more about it to see if it is right for them.

Did you know that all medical costs related to donor evaluations, surgery, and follow-up care are taken care of by the recipient's insurance as long as testing is performed at approved testing locations? To learn more about becoming a kidney donor, click here.

Faith in Action — Scripture that Inspired Tammy

“This Scripture does not mean everyone should go out and donate an organ! But these verses resonated with me, and kidney donation was one way I felt called to put my faith into action.”

James 2:15-17 (NIV) says, “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good it is? In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead.”