“Fun” Sibling Rivalry Spurs on Successful Kidney Donation During Pandemic

“We’ve always been a bit of a competitive family, always had an edge,” Shawn Zipser, 53, Traverse City, described his relationship with his two sisters and his father, Mike, 76. Local business owners, the Zipsers have always had close professional and personal relationships.

When Mike was diagnosed with Stage 1 kidney cancer 15 years ago, he had his cancerous kidney removed to save his life. Fortunately, all the cancer was encapsulated in the one kidney. However, a decade and a half later, even well-controlled diabetes took a toll on Mike’s remaining kidney.

Dialysis was going to be needed, urgently, within the next few months, Mike was told, in September 2020.

“I didn’t want dialysis,” Mike pleaded.

“He had seen a family member undergo dialysis years ago,” Mike’s wife Ann said. “The kidney team assured us that dialysis methods have improved; that many people do very well on dialysis.”

Another option that appealed to Mike was a kidney transplant. They chose Mercy Health Kidney Transplant Department because of how transparent the eligibility criteria are.

The Zipsers soon learned that a living donor would be ideal. Even better, from a family member.

What happened next was “remarkable,” according to Mike.

“All three of my kids talked it over, and whoever was the best qualified was going to donate me their kidney,” said Mike.

“His whole family was eager to help him achieve this goal of receiving a living donor transplant,” said Hofmann.

Over the next several weeks, Shawn and his two sisters each underwent a series of tests at Mercy Health to see how likely one of them was to be a match for their father.

“When I decided I wanted to go through the process to see if I could donate a kidney, it became a fun competition among my two sisters and me,” said Shawn. “Every time each one of us went in for testing or got a call from the Kidney Transplant team at Mercy Health, we were sure to let the others know they were ‘behind’ that day.

Being named the “winner” of the kidney donation among his siblings, Shawn received the news after undergoing a series of tests in December 2020 at Mercy Health.

“I texted my wife, ‘It’s about to get real,’” he recalled.

The surgery date was quickly set for February 1, 2021, as Mike’s creatinine levels were plummeting.

During a pandemic, preparing to be a kidney donor meant taking extreme precautions for Shawn during those weeks. He didn’t let his college-aged children come back home for visits. He masked up when around his only remaining child at home or in a vehicle.

“I knew if I got COVID-19, that would be the end of the donation process for a while, and my dad would have to begin dialysis. Once that surgery date was set, I knew I couldn’t mess it up.”

Shawn recalls he was more nervous about testing positive for COVID-19 in the days before the surgery than about the surgery itself. “Once I got those negative results, I was so relieved.”

Now in recovery, both Shawn and Mike are so grateful for their experience at Mercy Health.

“The way Mercy Health fast-tracked everything without cutting corners, all to make sure I didn’t have to go on dialysis before I could get my transplant, I was so appreciative,” said Mike. “It meant so much to me that all my children would do this for me. It took a lot of strain off me.”

“But anyone would do this for their dad,” Shawn said. “The whole experience, I would do it all again, no regrets.”

To learn more about the Kidney Transplant Center or the kidney donation process, please visit https://www.mercyhealth.com/find-a-service-or-specialty/kidney-transplants/.

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