Written by Kristen Zapata
Kelley M. K. Hitchman, PhD, MS, F(ACHI) works to pair kidney donors with recipients, helping to save lives one transplant at a time. But her commitment to the cause goes beyond her professional work.
In 2021, Hitchman made the remarkable decision to donate one of her own kidneys to a stranger, a life-changing experience that ignited a new personal mission — scaling the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro as part of an international Kidney Donor Athletes team. Her goal? To raise awareness for the need of kidney donation and to inspire others to become donors.
“Fear holds a lot of people back from donating a kidney, or a portion of their liver,” Hitchman said. “One of the most vocalized myths is that most folks don’t have the same quality of life and health after living donation. What better way to prove that this myth is just a myth than to climb the tallest freestanding mountain in the world — with one healthy kidney.”
She reached the top of the iconic mountain on World Kidney Day, March 14, 2024, in honor of her work and the many lives touched by kidney transplantation.
“Living organ donors can continue to live full and active lives in every way,” she said. “I am fortunate to know many donors who participate in marathons, triathlons, weightlifting, cycling — you name it! Donors continue to live normal lives following donation with no restrictions.”
Hitchman said that most donors are advised to refrain from vigorous activity or heavy lifting for about eight weeks following donation, but after that, she said, “life moves on.
“I walked around the hospital the day after my donation without assistance,” she said. “I did not require any pain medication by the third day after my donation, and I could walk four miles within a week of donation. I continue to work full time, exercise and parent my two children without at all physically noticing that I only have a single kidney. The donation was a wonderful experience for me — one that I wish everyone could experience.”
Hitchman is an associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine and the Malú and Carlos Alvarez Center for Transplantation, Hepatobiliary Surgery and Innovation. She is also the section chief and director of the Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (HLA) Laboratory at University Health.
“Normal people can do extraordinary things and can keep living full and active lives,” she said.