Adopted Living Donor Secretly Answers Facebook Plea After DNA Match, Enables Kidney Transplant at UCI Health

Adopted Sister Becomes Living kidney Donor After DNA Test Reunites Family

USA: A 49-year-old Southern California man facing advanced polycystic kidney disease got a life-saving living kidney transplant after an unexpected family reunion sparked by consumer DNA testing and a Facebook plea. Mark Miselli, who watched relatives suffer and faced imminent dialysis, went public asking for a donor and hoped a living match could spare him years on a waiting list.

The search led to 56-year-old Bonnie Kaiser, an adoptee who had been seeking her biological family. A home DNA test produced a sibling match and, within minutes, a group chat with newly found brothers and sisters. Mark would turn out to be her brother-in-law, and despite the lack of close biological ties, preliminary testing showed surprising compatibility.

Dr. Uttam Reddy, medical director of kidney transplantation at UCI Health, notes that compatibility hinges on blood type, size and other factors; in this case Bonnie emerged as the best living donor. She kept her plan private until tests confirmed a match and made a dramatic reveal at a family gathering by handing Mark a kidney bean as a hint. The transplant took place in 2023 at UCI Health.

With roughly 90,000 people awaiting deceased-donor kidneys nationwide and average waits of about five years—nearly a decade in parts of Southern California—living donation can be decisive. Today Mark honors Bonnie’s generosity by running marathons and living an active life made possible by her transplant gift.

Video originally published on 2026-05-01 22:01:20