AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) – In many health situations, it is organ donation that saves and transforms lives.
But there may be a misconception that donation will cause a major setback in life. That’s certainly not the case with Kaci Alvarado who recently hiked the entire Grand Canyon from rim to rim.
The accomplishment was extra meaningful for her being a living kidney donor. The story has an interesting origin.
“So we joked that I gave my kidney away at the Quick Lube. I was getting my oil changed at my friend’s Quick Lube in Pampa, and she asked me to proofread a letter she was going to put on Facebook for her friend that needed a kidney. Halfway through the letter, I said, ‘I’m O positive. How do I get tested?’ And six months later, we had surgery,” says Alvarado.
It was a life-changing experience for her and the recipient.
“Well, he was a single father with two kids, and I had two kids that were about the same age. And I thought if that was me, I would need somebody to step up for my kids. And so it was a no-brainer. And I was able to give him a gift that has given him 12 more years,” she says.
The transplant launched a special relationship and a close bond.
“I’d never met him before I agreed to donate to him, and I met him the first day of testing. And now we’re like family. He sends me pictures of all the grandkids that he’s had. He had two grandkids when we had our surgery, and now he’s got like 13. I thought I was helping somebody else, but it has changed my life in so many ways. And through the process, I fell in love with transplant,” she says.
The experience actually redirected her life.
Alvarado says, “I really, really love what I do because I literally get to love families for a living.”
She is now a family care specialist for the Life Gift Program, which touches many lives through organ donation.
“Being able to see somebody that, you know, did not have that quality of life be able to light up, be able to get out of that hospital bed that they couldn’t before; be able to walk a mile when they didn’t have that opportunity before; know that they are going to be able to go to their grandson’s birthday — It is just the most wonderful thing ever,” says Kara Coats, Life Gift Donation systems specialist.
The need for organ donation is tremendous.
Alvarado says that in the United States there are over 100,000 people on the waiting list needing a miracle.
And in case you have the idea that donating a kidney will slow you down in life…
“That’s absolutely not true, and I’m proof of that. And the 15 people that I crossed the Grand Canyon with are proof of that. I’m part of an organization called Kidney Donor Athletes, and we do things like, we just had several members run the New York Marathon,” says the active mother.
To be clear, after you donate a kidney, you can run a marathon, you can hike rim to rim of the Grand Canyon, it just doesn’t slow you down.
Alvarado says absolutely not.
“We actually have what’s called the Transplant Games of America, which is like the Olympics, except all the athletes are either recipients or donors.”
Doppler Dave Oliver is sure Kaci will not be slowing down anytime soon.
In fact, she plans on participating in the transplant games in Denver 2026 and hopefully the World Games in 2027.
Now that’s some good news.
Copyright 2025 KFDA. All rights reserved.
