“Who needs diamonds when you got a kidney, right?” quips Carolina Carney, who received an unusual gift for Valentine’s Day 2025 in the form of a kidney donation from her husband John.
For John, the decision to become a living kidney donor for his wife was a no brainer. “Everybody got two. I’ll give her one, see what happens,” he says. He feels grateful to have—according to the surgeons—an exceptionally healthy kidney at age 55.
Both spouses were born in the Bay Area—Hayward for Carolina, Oakland for John—and are members of the Deaf community. Caroline has two Deaf parents and one Deaf sister. John is hard of hearing, and other family members are Deaf, including his mom and brother. The couple have two children together.
University of California, San Francisco handled the surgeries, which took place Feb. 13. Carolina felt trepidation over this major surgery, hoping that the benefit would be worth the risk. “My first thought was, I hope he’s ok. I wasn’t worried about myself so much,” she explains.
After taking time to recover, John walked to Carolina’s hospital room the next day to reunite. She remembers, “The first time that I got to see him I just started crying because I was just glad to see him because it was on Valentine’s Day.”
The two are optimistic about their continued recovery and continued love story. “After 25 years,” says John, “we’re not going out that easy.”
Unfortunately, many in need of a kidney transplant aren’t so lucky. The waitlist can stretch for years, and dialysis can’t compensate for a healthy organ. Learn more about kidney donation at: ucsfhealth.org/lp/living-organ-donors.
