A Kidney for Andrew

Andrew Saltsgaver is 39 years old and has lived most of his life with a transplanted kidney. Born with only one functional kidney that failed during his teens, he received a lifesaving transplant from his mother over 20 years ago. That kidney served him well until he contracted COVID-19 twice in rapid succession, leading to an extremely rare case of acute kidney failure after such a long transplant duration.

Despite this, Andrew fought back. He kept a strict renal diet, maintained a low-sodium intake, and went to the gym daily, working hard to preserve the function of his kidney as long as possible. Yet in spite of his efforts, he eventually had to start dialysis.

Now, three days a week, Andrew wakes up before 6 a.m. to get to dialysis. Often, he leaves dialysis to go directly to work, continuing to live his life fully. He still volunteers at the Kentucky Center, sings with Voices of Kentuckiana, boards and trains dogs, and mentors others in recovery. His determination and commitment to living fully have not wavered, even under the strain of dialysis and declining kidney function.

Andrew has never been someone to ask for help, but now he must. To keep living the active, engaged life he has built, he needs a kidney from a living donor.