Longtime TV Engineer With Stage 5 Renal Failure Faces Three-Month Race To Find Living Kidney Donor

Longtime KFDX Engineer Russ Madson Seeks Living Donor For Urgent kidney transplant

USA: Russ Madson, a television engineer who has kept a local news operation running for more than three decades, faces an urgent medical crossroads as he navigates stage 5 renal failure and awaits a kidney transplant. After undergoing a triple bypass last July, physicians discovered his kidneys had failed and he now depends on dialysis three days a week for four hours at a time. The prospect of transplantation has become the central route to restoring his health and daily life.

Madson and his wife, Deanna, describe a sudden shift from routine to crisis as they adjust to frequent treatments and mounting uncertainty. A planned path to transplantation was disrupted when his son, who had been evaluated as a potential living donor, proved ineligible because of medications he uses. That development tightened an already narrow window: Madson was told he must secure a living donor to be placed on the transplant list, and that timeframe for finding a match is roughly three months.

The living-donor requirement has turned the family’s appeal outward, seeking one person willing to undergo evaluation and give a kidney if found compatible. The couple acknowledges how difficult and deeply personal such a request is, but they remain focused on pursuing transplantation and the medical team’s pathway to restore kidney function. In the meantime, the regimen of dialysis continues to shape daily life for both patient and caregiver as they pursue next steps with their transplant coordinators and physicians.

Video originally published on 2026-02-19 20:25:51