--- title: "Wife Donates Kidney to Husband After 39 Years Married | Sutter Health" description: "After 39 years of marriage, Stephanie Herrera gave her husband Rick one of her kidneys, helping him avoid dialysis through Sutter's CPMC transplant program." url: "https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/auburn-couple-reclaims-life-after-living-donor-kidney-transplant" --- 1. [Home](https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Patient stories](https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) / 3. Auburn Couple Reclaims Life After Living Donor Kidney Transplant # Auburn Couple Reclaims Life After Living Donor Kidney Transplant After 39 years of marriage, Stephanie Herrera gave her husband Rick one of her kidneys, helping him avoid dialysis through Sutter's CPMC transplant program. July 6, 2026 by Ashley Boarman ![Auburn Couple Reclaims Life After Living Donor Kidney Transplant](https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/sutterhealt962c-sutterhealt8fce-production57cc-4860/media/Project/SutterHealth/Vitals/patient-stories/Stephanie-e1783359376388-529065fd.jpg?h=1630&iar=0&w=1500 "Auburn Couple Reclaims Life After Living Donor Kidney Transplant") When Rick Herrera’s kidney function dropped to 12%, his wife didn’t wait. After 39 years of marriage, Stephanie Herrera stepped forward to donate one of her kidneys, helping him avoid dialysis and a years-long wait for a deceased donor. Rick Herrera had managed kidney disease for 25 years, but his condition had reached a critical point. The Auburn couple turned to Sutter Health’s [Living Kidney Donor Program](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/living-kidney-donation) at Sutter’s CPMC in San Francisco. On June 30, Stephanie Herrera donated her kidney to her husband. ![Patients with caregivers](https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/sutterhealt962c-sutterhealt8fce-production57cc-4860/media/Project/SutterHealth/Vitals/patient-stories/IMG_2065-scaled-e1783359943360-fb24fb4d.jpeg "L to R: Christmas Tiletile, Jennifer Silvestre, Stephanie Herrera, Rick Herrera and Dr. Janet Bellingham") **Stepping Forward** Stephanie Herrera, a payroll manager at Sutter, began screening last August. “I thought it would just be a simple blood type test,” she said. “But there was more involved. At one appointment, I even had a test to confirm I had two kidneys. I didn’t know you could be born with just one.” That surprise is common – and intentional. Over several months, Herrera completed a series of advanced imaging, lab and cardiac tests, part of a process designed to protect a donor’s long-term health. “We look at donor safety first,” said [Dr. Steven Katznelson](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-steven-katznelson-1046243630), medical director of Sutter’s Living Donor Transplant Program. “It’s a step-by-step process. You’re never doing this alone.” Nearly [20,000 people in California](https://donatelifecalifornia.org/education/how-donation-works/the-organ-transplant-waiting-list/) are waiting for an organ transplant, and patients can wait seven to 10 years for a deceased donor kidney. While CPMC surgeons perform about 200 kidney transplants each year, the program is working to increase living donations beyond 30% to help patients avoid long delays. Living donor kidneys [often function longer](https://www.kidney.org/kidney-topics/kidney-transplant) and typically begin working right away, since they spend little time on ice. The planned nature of the surgery also allows donors and recipients to [better coordinate](https://nephdocs.com/blog/living-donor-vs-deceased-donor-kidney-transplants-explained/) time off work and recovery. Stephanie Herrera proved to be a direct match for her husband, but she said she was prepared to enter a paired exchange (or “swap”) with a stranger if needed. > The [Barry S. Levin Department of Transplantation](https://www.sutterhealth.org/giving/giving-opportunities/transplant/transplant-care) at Sutter’s CPMC is nationally ranked as one of the top transplant programs in the country with survival rates among the best in the nation. **Opening Life Back Up** ![A couple in the hospital together](https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/sutterhealt962c-sutterhealt8fce-production57cc-4860/media/Project/SutterHealth/Vitals/patient-stories/IMG_2077-scaled-e1783360044871-03d6ba71.jpeg "Stephanie and Rick reunite following their procedures.") Both Herreras are recovering following surgery. For their family – four children, 13 grandchildren, two great-grandsons and a great-granddaughter on the way – the transplant means a return to everyday life, including their annual camping trip to Rollins Lake. “It gives our family the chance to plan for the future,” Stephanie Herrera said. “It also means fewer restrictions and the ability to enjoy food and daily life again.” Rick Herrera can now move forward with a long-delayed knee replacement. His worsening knee pain had been difficult to treat because of his kidney disease. For Stephanie Herrera, going through the process as a spouse, patient and Sutter employee offered a new perspective. “It gives you a completely different appreciation for the care teams and all the coordination that goes into every transplant case,” she said. “I’m so grateful.” With the surgeries behind them, the Herreras are focused on the joy of planning ahead. Since 1969, CPMC’s transplant team has performed more than 10,000 organ transplants. The program is at the forefront of innovation, pioneering multi-kidney swaps and leading the way in minimally invasive, [robotic transplant surgery](https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/sisters-gift-represents-transplant-first-at-sutter-health/). > Explore Sutter’s Living Kidney Donor Program [here](https://cpmckidneydonor.org/). ![A couple stand together in a medical center lobby](https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/sutterhealt962c-sutterhealt8fce-production57cc-4860/media/Project/SutterHealth/Vitals/patient-stories/Rick-and-Stephanie-Herrera-2cb4001d.jpg "Rick and Stephanie Herrera on June 29 at Sutter’s CPMC in San Francisco.") ## Topics [Kidney](https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/search?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_healthTopics.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Kidney%22%5D%7D%5D&verticalKey=articles) ## Kidney transplant services A kidney transplant can give you a new chance at a healthier life. If you're facing end-stage kidney disease, our transplant specialists can guide you through evaluation, surgery and ongoing care with support. [Learn more about Kidney transplant services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/kidney-transplant) ## Related articles ### [San Francisco Priests Unite in Kidney Donation](https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/san-francisco-priests-unite-in-kidney-donation) ### [Sister’s Gift Represents Transplant First at Sutter Health](https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/sisters-gift-represents-transplant-first-at-sutter-health) ### [A Gift for Gabby: She Gets New Kidney from Sister-in-Law](https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/gift-for-gabby-she-gets-new-kidney-from-sister-in-law) ### [What Doctors Want You to Know About Living-Kidney Organ Donation](https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/perspectives/what-doctors-want-you-to-know-about-living-kidney-organ-donation) [See all from Patient stories](https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) ## Check your Vitals Get the latest in health innovation, community impact and patient care from Sutter Health — delivered straight to your inbox. 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