Vida and Darius: „When the Critical Day Came, There Was No Doubt”
In Lithuania, kidney transplants from living donors have been performed for over forty years. Darius has been living with a kidney donated by his wife, Vida, for more than eight years. “From the very first days of my kidney disease, Vida knew she could become an organ donor for me, but we only spoke about it in passing. We kept trying to postpone that day, but when it finally came, there was no hesitation,” Darius shares.
The couple was fortunate that their immune compatibility was good and their blood types matched. “The doctors said it was a rare case. Life truly brought us together in a fateful way. We are each other’s main support in life, and my wife also gifted me health — a chance to start a new chapter.”
Promoting Organ Donation through Hiking
Before the transplant, Darius was more concerned about his wife than himself, but the doctors reassured him that Vida’s health would not be endangered. Vida adds, „The fear of surgery was outweighed by what I could give to my loved one. If I had to, I would do it again without the slightest doubt.”
Vida remains in good health: „I was healthy before the donation, and I’m still perfectly healthy now. The surgery had no effect on my health,” she says. The Svetlikauskai couple now leads a very active life — they travel a lot and participate in hiking trips where they advocate for organ donation. One of their biggest adventures was completing the Camino Lituano hike as part of the “Friendship Drives” project, covering 500 kilometres. To date, they’ve completed over 3,000 kilometres of hiking and believe they’ll one day conquer 100 kilometres in a single go.
Raimonda and Aurimas: „We Celebrated Turning 40, and Both Began Preparing for Surgery”
Klaipėda residents Raimonda and Aurimas appear to be an ordinary couple in their forties. However, they share a unique bond that goes beyond their family ties — Aurimas lives with a kidney donated by his wife.
A Surprising Diagnosis
The exact reason for Aurimas’ kidney failure couldn’t be determined: “Doctors suspect that the illness may have been caused by extreme fatigue from long work hours when I was a driver abroad, or perhaps a genetic predisposition to kidney disease, although that hasn’t been proven.”
It took nearly two years for Aurimas to receive a diagnosis: “We would call the ambulance, they would take me to the hospital, run tests, trying to figure out why my blood pressure was skyrocketing and why I had splitting headaches — but no clear cause was ever found. Many specialists consulted me, and eventually, I was diagnosed with stage IV kidney failure, which quickly progressed to stage V.”
The news of the diagnosis and treatment options weighed heavily on Aurimas: “I was scared. During the first days, I had the worst thoughts, thinking I was going to die. But every day, my wife and I read up on the condition, did research, and gradually, I started letting go of those dark thoughts. I didn’t want to think about the worst anymore,” Aurimas shares.
Eventually, the disease reached the point where dialysis and a kidney transplant were planned. „We learned from the doctor that transplantation from a living donor was possible — family members could donate a kidney. When we got home, we discussed it as a family, considering all the ways we could help Aurimas,” recalls his wife, Raimonda. „Aurimas’ mother and brother couldn’t be donors, so I offered to donate my kidney. Thanks to that, Aurimas didn’t need dialysis, and he was prepared for a kidney transplant from a living donor.”
Research and Health Testing
Raimonda remembers spending long hours researching: “I found out that living donation is much more common in Scandinavian countries than in Lithuania, where only 4-6 such transplants are done each year. I also learned that a person can live a full life with just one kidney: if someone is healthy, one kidney can handle its function just fine.”
“They wouldn’t have taken my kidney if the doctors had found any health issues with me. That’s the protocol: a kidney can only be taken from a completely healthy person. I was tested from head to toe,” Raimonda explains.
Life After the Transplant
The couple, who recently went through the transplant process, shares: “Before the surgery, we were both anxious, but now it’s all behind us. We’re focusing on taking care of our health, getting stronger, and moving on to a new chapter in life.” Raimonda’s care for her husband is evident in her advice to him — to avoid sitting on cold surfaces like stones or cement steps and to keep his feet warm: “The kidney is working perfectly, and we need to protect it so we can stay healthy and continue enjoying life. After spending time in the hospital, we saw how many people are seriously ill. So, we can confidently say that we’re doing great,” Raimonda and Aurimas conclude with a note of optimism.