Emory Hospital Liver Transplant Recipient Urgently Seeks Living Kidney Donor, Paired Donation Could Help Two

Woman Recovering From liver transplant Seeks Living kidney Donor Through Emory Program

USA: Jerry Lynn Bender is urgently seeking a living kidney donor as she prepares for transplantation at Emory University Hospital after a complex course following a February 2024 liver transplant. Physicians now say a living donor transplant offers the best chance to remove her from dialysis immediately during surgery and restore kidney function.

Bender began dialysis just before her liver transplant when her kidneys were injured in the run-up to surgery and has been on dialysis for nearly two years. In 2025 she suffered critical complications, spent time in a coma on a ventilator and narrowly avoided palliative transition; intensive rehabilitation over the past year has brought steady improvement and renewed surgical eligibility.

Her recovery has been dramatic: she progressed from wheelchair dependence to walking, then driving again, including operating a five-speed stick shift. Medical teams at Emory assess her as physically stronger and ready for transplantation, but a compatible living donor remains the key barrier. Donors with blood type A or O are direct matches; Emory’s kidney donor match program also supports paired kidney exchanges so a non-matching donor can still trigger a transplant for Bender while their kidney helps another patient.

Bender is listed as Jerry Bullock Bender with a birthdate of 12-28-1965 at Emory University Hospital. The transplant focus remains on securing a living donor to end her dialysis and complete her post-transplant recovery.

Video originally published on 2026-03-11 15:00:18