The surgery marks Seattle Children’s 250th living donor kidney transplant.
SEATTLE — A Tacoma teenager is celebrating a second lease on life, thanks to an extraordinary gift from her sister.
17-year-old Mary Head received a kidney transplant that’s transforming her health — and also marks a milestone for Seattle Children’s Hospital.
For Head, the condition that led to the transplant did not stop her from pursuing what she loves: dancing.
“I do jazz and and lyrical and ballet and I just love doing that,” Head said.
But in recent years, her favorite hobby had become exhausting.
“I was so tired afterwards and so achy everywhere. And that would last, you know, all week,” Head said.
It wasn’t a mystery why.
Since she was very young, Head knew her kidneys were failing. When she was nine-months old, doctors diagnosed her with a rare genetic condition known as cystinosis. It can lead to kidney failure and also impacts the eyes.
“It’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve had to take all this medicine, eye drops every hour,” Head said.
After years of enduring symptoms, it was time to consider a kidney transplant. And her older sister Audrey was ready to answer the call.
“She gave me her organ, but nothing was in it for her. It was just so selfless and truly amazing and really just a gift of life,” Head said.
“For me we all look out for each other, so it was kind of a no-brainer,” said Audrey Shipp, Head’s sister.
23-year-old Shipp now lives in Oklahoma with her husband. She didn’t hesitate when she learned she was the best match to donate her kidney.
“I felt like that was the best thing to do and it wasn’t really a decision,” Shipp said.
The transplant represents the 250th living donor kidney transplant performed at Seattle Children’s Hospital — a milestone that underscores decades of medical advancement.
Dr. Andre Dick, the hospital’s surgical director for kidney transplants, said living donor transplants offer the best outcomes.
“These are 250 renewed futures, right? These kids get to live a full and productive life. And it speaks to the testament of the power of the human spirit,” Dick said.
The surgery took place at separate hospitals — Head at Seattle Children’s and Shipp at UW Medicine. Days later, when the sisters reunited, the bond was undeniable.
“It was so nice to see her, see how she was doing and how she was feeling. We were both going through something hard as big as a transplant, and it was really nice,” Head said.
Dick said advances in surgical techniques, immunosuppression medications, and post-operative care mean transplant patients can now leave the hospital in as little as five to seven days — a dramatic improvement from decades past.
“It’s a tremendous advance in the technology and not just with one sort of team member, as I mentioned, multidisciplinary team,” Dick said.
Now recovering at home, Head is already looking forward to returning to dancing — this time, with the energy she hasn’t had in years.
She’s also planning to pursue pediatric nursing after high school, hoping to give back the way medical professionals gave to her.
For her sister Audrey Shipp, the message to others considering kidney donation is simple.
“I think everyone’s situation is a little bit different but from my experience, it’s worth it. It can really help someone else,” Shipp said.
For more information on Seattle Children’s kidney transplant program, visit here.
