Texas Teen Receives Father’s kidney Through Record-Setting pediatric transplant Program
USA: A 17-year-old regained everyday freedoms after a kidney transplant performed at Texas children‘s Hospital, receiving a living-donor kidney from his father, Brick Hubard. The recipient, Lance Hubard, had kidney failure first identified at age five, and the operation restored him to a level of health that allows participation in sports, a normal diet and unrestricted fluid intake—changes that have reshaped his daily life and prospects.
The transplantation has had immediate practical and developmental benefits. Before the procedure, the young man faced limitations that affected schooling, play and simple pleasures; after the surgery he returned to basketball, football and track, and no longer needs the fluid and dietary restrictions that once governed his routine. The father described relief and a sense of blessing in being able to give a kidney that can support his son through crucial growth years.
Texas children‘s kidney transplant program, led in part by transplant physician Dr. Tal Galin, has been highlighted for its volume and impact, with the team credited with saving 144 lives this year. Dr. Galin emphasized that pediatric kidney transplantation can restore very basic functions—drinking water, attending school, swimming—that have outsized consequences for a child’s development. He noted that a living-donor kidney often lasts on average two decades and sometimes 40-plus years, spanning critical stages of growth and maturation.
The donor experience was described as rigorous but ultimately rewarding: comprehensive testing to confirm donor health, a surgical donation process, and a recovery that donors report allows a full return to life after the procedure. The case underlines how living-donor transplantation can transform both recipient and donor lives while bolstering high-volume pediatric transplant programs.
Living Donor Guidance: Prospective living donors should discuss their wishes with family, contact Texas children‘s Hospital to be connected with transplant coordinators, and register their decision or learn more at donatelifeetex.org.
Video originally published on 2026-02-13 16:16:12
