Hi! I’m Ben. If you’ve found your way to this page, thank you for taking the time to learn about my story.

I live in Salt Lake City with my wife, Angela and our dog, Mac. I’m originally from Boston, but we decided to make Utah our home a couple of years ago after falling in love with the mountains. I love being active, so you’ll find me hiking, skiing, playing tennis or golf, or traveling with Angela. We can’t wait to continue exploring and making memories together. 

I was born with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which is a genetic condition that causes cysts grow in the kidney over time. Unfortunately there is no cure, and eventually the kidneys lose the ability to do their job. But PKD has been the least interesting thing about my life for a long time. With a medication that has helped slow the rate of decline and close monitoring from my nephrologists, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to live a pretty normal life. Outside of these two bum kidneys, I’m very healthy and active and have been able to do just about everything I’ve wanted to do. 

But now I am in end stage kidney failure and it’s time for a transplant. Kidneys coming from living donors typically offer better outcomes and function longer than kidneys from deceased donors, often lasting twice as long and leading to better outcomes. It also means avoiding years waiting on the deceased donor transplant list (I’ve been on the list for two years now) and a better chance of getting transplanted before needing long-term dialysis.

Angela would like to donate her kidney to me, but we’ve been trying to start a family making her currently ineligible to donate. Mac is eager to donate, but my transplant center has a strict no dog policy!

Asking for help like this isn’t easy. Living kidney donation is an incredible act of generosity. Beyond saving my life, it would give me the opportunity to live a long, heathy life doing the things I love with the people I love. And most importantly, the chance for Angela and me to build the family we’ve always dreamed of. PKD is a genetic disease with a 50% pass on rate, so we’ve been through multiple IVF rounds with genetic testing to ensure our future children will not inherit this. We’re hopeful and excited about what lies ahead for our family!

Whether you decide to learn more or share our story, your kindness and support means the world to us, so thank you. I hope this website answers many of your questions about living kidney donation. If there’s something that isn’t covered or you would like to get in touch, please reach out to either of us through the contact page.

And if you’re considering donating the gift of a kidney, it’s impossible to fully express what that would mean to me, and Angela, and our future family together. It would be the gift of a lifetime.

FAQ page here: https://www.benneedsakidney.com/faq