Caitlin Whyte (Host): Welcome to In Their Words, a podcast brought to you by the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation and UPMC in Central PA. This series highlights powerful stories of hope, healing, and humanity told directly by the people who live them. Today's episode takes us behind the scenes of a life-changing kidney transplant, a story of selflessness during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But this isn't just the story of a grateful parent or a heroic donor. It's the story of the people who made the journey possible, Jackie Stifler and Amy Zook, two compassionate professionals from UPMC Harrisburg's Transplant Services team who dedicate their lives to supporting living donors through every step of the process. Their work goes far beyond paperwork and procedure. It's emotional. It's personal, it's transformative.

For Jackie and Amy, working in transplant isn't just a job, it's a calling. Jackie, a nurse with a background in dialysis care found her passion in supporting living donors. She's seen the full journey from patients tethered to dialysis machines to thriving recipients post-transplant.

Amy's journey started in social work, helping families in maternity and neonatal units, but the emotional weight of those roles led her to transplant, where she now serves as the independent living donor advocate, ensuring each donor feels supported, heard, and empowered. Both women describe their roles with one shared word. Gratitude. Gratitude for being able to walk alongside people, choosing to give a part of themselves, literally to save another person's life.

Jackie Stifler: So I'm Jackie Stifler. I'm one of the living donor coordinators here with UPMC Harrisburg Transplant Services. I have been with the system now for about six years. I had originally done dialysis work as a nurse in their outpatient units. I've done in-center dialysis, peritoneal, home hemo. So I have experience with all of that. And then just kind of coming here from the dialysis world has been a huge blessing to say the least.

You know, these living donors are amazing people for wanting to step forward, to do this out of the goodness of their hearts. So to be able to work with these individuals truly has been life changing. And then just seeing, you know, the recipients after getting a transplant and the life that they're then able to live is also amazing.

And I've actually had the experience of being able to watch some of my old dialysis patients get transplanted and now, you know, they're living and thriving and living their best life. So it's truly an honor to do what I do.

Amy Zook: I'm Amy Zook. I am the independent living donor advocate with the transplant team. I have been with the system for 22 years tomorrow. And for the first 16 years of my tenure here I was with the maternal child health, as a social worker. So, I kind of slowly transitioned over to transplant until my role evolved into a full-time position and I happily came over here.

And like Jackie said, it's truly amazing for these people to come forward and want to do something good for somebody else. I always say I have the best job in the world. Because we do, because we talk to people who want to do something wonderful for somebody else. And there's just not a lot of that that happens.

Jackie Stifler: Actually, when I was in middle school and high school, I did want to be a nurse. So I did kind of follow through with my path. I didn't think I would end up as a transplant nurse. But I also knew I didn't want to be a hospital bedside nurse. So my career just kind of evolved as I went. You know, I did my time bedside. I gained those skills that all nurses need, and eventually I got into the outpatient world. I just so happened to be, you know, with the kidney patients and it stuck.

 I've been a nephrology nurse now for probably, oh gosh, I'm going to say 11 years now. And I've been a nurse for about 14 years. So majority of my nursing career has been with kidney patients. So it's all I know and it's what I love.

Amy Zook: And oh gosh, middle school and high school, I wanted to be a social worker. I started my social work career with adoptions, working in Philadelphia. And, then it was time to come home. So I was down there about seven years and I came home to be close to family. I got right into my job here as a social worker with maternity and pediatrics in the NICU. And I loved it, but it was a lot.

They don't consult social work for necessarily happy things on maternity and pediatrics. So, when the opportunity kind of presented itself for me to start working with transplant as the donor advocate, I was like, why not? Let's do something a little different. And like I said, the role evolved and became more demanding and I was able to leave the maternal child health world and come over here full time and working with Jackie and Tiffany has been great. The whole team's just wonderful, and it's just been a really good experience.

Host: The path to transplant is never linear. Jackie and Amy first met Ray Chung when he stepped forward to donate a kidney to his father-in-law, David. His optimism and energy immediately stood out, but even the brightest spirits face challenges. The transplant journey is a rigorous process filled with countless tests, screenings, and psychological evaluations.

And when you add the uncertainty of a global pandemic, rescheduled surgeries, COVID protocols, and weeks of delay, it becomes a true emotional rollercoaster. Through it all, Jackie and Amy remained constant, helping doctors navigate fear, frustration, and fatigue. They are advocates, sounding boards, and on some days family.

Jackie Stifler: So the donors always have to call in first. Of course, we can't solicit donors, so they have to make that initial contact. And when they do, Amy speaks with them first to review our six page consent form for donation.

And if that doesn't scare them away, then they make their way to me and I complete a very thorough medical history form. And if that doesn't scare them away, then they start the process of going through the donor workup, which is very vigorous process. It's not easy for someone to give away an organ, as I always say.

But I would say from my very first interaction with Ray, he's a ball of sunshine. He is very optimistic. He's very bubbly, always had a smile on his face. He's just easy to talk to and you could tell he truly wanted to help his father-in-law.

Amy Zook: I'll explain this real quick. We only have donor contact. We don't have any recipient contact, especially me. I don't sit in on meetings that talk about recipients. I'm only here for living donors. So I don't always get to see the other side of it with recipients thriving. I hear about them.

Jackie Stifler: We see it a little bit more, but like Amy said, yeah, we're not directly involved with the recipients. We keep things separated for the confidentiality purposes. So recipients have their own team, which just consists of like nephrologists, surgeon, social worker, financial coordinator, and then of course the donor has their own individual team as well.

So. We tried to do telehealth for a hot second and honestly, really, I feel like it didn't really work for us. I really, I don't think our process really changed too much, like with the evaluation part. Some patients, you know, they started during COVID, you know, at their two year follow up, I was finally able to remove my mask and then they made the comment, oh, that's what you look like. Now I can't remember the specifics because it was so long ago, but yes, they did have a couple of delays.

I don't remember why they were delayed, but I do know I had to reschedule at least two times, maybe three times since, obviously that causes some angst and anxiety and oh yeah stress and everything else. And because the donors, when they start this process, they just want to keep moving and basically have the surgery and move on with their life.

And when we keep hitting roadblocks, it can create some distress, I guess you could say.

Amy Zook: We always say that they're on a rollercoaster. You know, you're leading up to being evaluated and hopefully being approved and then a surgery date scheduled, and then somebody tests positive for COVID and we have to reschedule things.

You know, a recipient isn't well enough to have surgery, healthy enough to have surgery, and we need to postpone things, so. And then we get back on the rollercoaster going upward again.

Host: On the morning of surgery, emotions run high. There are nerves, yes, but more than that, there's purpose. Jackie is in the operating room for every donor surgery, capturing photos of the kidney for a personalized scrapbook. One final gesture of thanks from a team that's been with the donor every step of the way.

Amy quietly checks in with each donor in pre-op, offering a last moment of reassurance before they go under anesthesia and when the transplant is complete, the impact is immediate. David, Ray's recipient shared that before the surgery, he could barely make it through the day without five or six naps.

Since the transplant, not a single one. From everyday things like mowing the lawn to monumental changes like regaining independence and energy. These outcomes are why Jackie and Amy do what they do.

Jackie Stifler: Kendra, our admin assistant, she does this. So I am blessed to be able to go into the operating room for every single donor. And in the operating room, I do take photos of the process of removing the kidney. So some photos are taken on the big screen where the kidney is still inside.

And then once the kidney is outside the body, then I take photos, obviously of the kidney outside the body. And then Kendra just kind of compiles everything and creates a scrapbook for the donors. And it's just kind of our way of saying thank you.

Amy Zook: If you don't like blood and guts, then you probably shouldn't look at it.

Jackie Stifler: It's not too gore.

Amy Zook: No, it's not. But it is you're looking at a live kidney. And don't usually get to do that.

Jackie Stifler: I would just say my biggest feelings is probably gratitude, just for being able to be this little part of their story. And that will be able to stick with them for the rest of their life. I would just say, yeah, gratitude.

Amy Zook: We come in before they go into surgery. So that they have some familiar faces, in the pre-op part. So it's not just strangers.

Jackie Stifler: All these random nurses and anesthesiologist running around like, we're there. That way, if they have any last minute questions.

Amy Zook: As a donor advocate, I check in one more time to make sure that they want to do this because they can, they can, they can change their mind up till anesthesia puts them under.

 So I just kind of check in real quietly and say, you good? But yeah, there's some nerves. But I get goosebumps every time they wheel them to the OR.

Jackie Stifler: And sometimes cry and just, I've, I've cried in preop before. You know, especially if the donor's starting to get teary eyed or their family is, is crying, you know? I mean, yeah. We obviously join in, in those emotions because at this point, you know, we've developed that rapport with them. They're like family to us, so obviously we want a good outcome not only for them, but the recipient as well.

And I've even heard recipients say, you know, when I was in dialysis, you just take for granted for, I guess, what you can do as a healthy person. Because when one of my patients was transplanted, they did say to me like, I'm so grateful I can finally go outside again and mow my grass. Like, who wants to mow grass? Honestly, but this person was so grateful that now they have the energy to finally get back to their daily routine, which includes housework, mowing grass.

So it's a blessing to be able to see that side of things and obviously work with the donors who, you know, make half of our transplants here at Harrisburg possible.

Last year was a really good year for us. What were we at 80 ish last year. And like I said, half of those are because of our generous living donors. But that's the biggest thing someone can do, is just to try. And if they can't donate, then we always say, be an advocate for your recipient.

Be a champion. You know, spread the word. Blast it on social media. Throw signs out in the community. Say something at church. Wherever, wherever you know, you never know who you're going to touch with either your story or the story of, you know, someone else needing the kidney. Because you just never know whose ears are going to hear it and come forward.

Amy Zook: I know my family's proud of me, for what I do here and that I look out for people and, and help and, I do the initial phone calls. So if somebody needs it to be at five o'clock in the evening and my schedule allows, I'll do it.

I think we all try to kind of accommodate as much we can. But I don't go home unhappy.

Jackie Stifler: Yeah, for most days. Most days we have our struggles and challenges, but we're doing a great thing. It's just a blessing. I, I mean, I could get emotional, honestly, just thinking about it. Just the difference that we do make in these people's lives. You know, they do all the hard work, by going through surgery, but we've also been there basically holding their hand through every step.

Yeah. You know, when we're available. Any point, Amy said about working sometimes at five o'clock at night and the really, the only time I am checked completely out of work is when I'm on vacation. Other than that, I'm checking my emails in the evening, replying to people.

Amy Zook: We're pretty committed. Yeah. One, one of our donors said that she wants my job, and she wasn't kidding. Like, she wants my job. And I said, well, you're going to have to wait till I retire because I'm not going anywhere.

Host: Each year, dozens of transplants happen because someone like Ray Chung says yes, because someone like Jackie or Amy is there to guide the way. Living donation doesn't just change a recipient's life. It transforms the donor too. And behind every successful transplant is a dedicated team doing the unseen work that makes all the difference. If you're listening and wondering whether you could be a living donor or support someone who needs one, Jackie and Amy have just one piece of advice. Try. You never know the impact, your story, your advocacy, or your generosity might have on someone else's life. Thank you for listening to, In Their Words, a podcast from the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation and UPMC in Central PA. Until next time, stay inspired and stay connected.