Walnut Creek Man Receives Gift of Life From Family --- For a Second Time

The Contra Costa Times reports on the heartrending story of Chris Schroeder (pictured center), who received a donated kidney at age 50 from his wife, and then eight years later after the transplant failed, a second donated kidney from his son. Mr. Schroeder underwent successful surgery at UCSF Medical Center in December 2014 to have the transplanted kidney implanted. His UCSF nephrologist, Flavio Vincenti, M.D.  said the rejection of the first kidney was "somewhat uncommon," and had been complicated by a rare disease "C1q nephropathy" that attacked his remaining kidney.

WALNUT CREEK -- Chris Schroeder's family has given him the gift of life, not once, but twice.

When Schroeder, who has a rare genetic kidney disease, received his wife Sonia's kidney seven years ago, it seemed to be a miracle, given the long odds his Mexican-born spouse would even be a match.

But just five years after that surgery, the 58-year-old Schroeder's body began to reject that kidney, for reasons doctors haven't identified. He faced being put at the end of what figured to be a six-year waiting list for a donor kidney, and returned to daily dialysis.

It was then that Chris' 19-year-old son, Ezra, said he wanted to be part of a miracle, too.So, eight years after Chris Schroeder received his wife's kidney, he received another from his son.

"He told me, 'I would like to give you a kidney, Dad,' and I cried," said Chris Schroeder, adding that he never tried to talk his son out of it. "It chokes me up even now. It's such a noble thing for anybody to do, but for a kid?"

Although Ezra Schroeder was considered very young to be a donor -- and was, in fact, told to take extra time weighing the decision to give a kidney -- he said it wasn't a hard call, given who was going to get it.

"I wouldn't donate my kidney to anyone just to donate it," said Ezra, a student at Diablo Valley College. Father and son had surgeries in December.

"It's my dad, and if I was given the chance to help him, why wouldn't I do it?"