Tammie and Michael Martinez
Married couple Michael and Tammie now share more than vows since Tammie's kidney donation.
Thirteen years ago, when Michael and Tammie Martinez got married, they knew they were a perfect match. Their match went beyond the altar and into the operating room when Tammie became a life-saving match for Michael by donating a kidney to him.
“We were a strong couple before the match,” said Tammie, 43. “The transplant made us even stronger. God is the foundation of our marriage and that helped us get through the entire process. We prayed separately and together. Now, we have a physical connection, too.”
Michael, 39, had been diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension. Two years ago, his kidney function started to decline, and he had to start dialysis. Soon he was in stage 4 renal failure. As the self-employed owner of a pest control company, he went on peritoneal dialysis which is conducted nightly for eight hours.
He said that from the beginning Tammie was willing to be a donor. “I was happy, but I didn’t want to put her through something that might put her at risk in the future,” he said. “But in the end, I couldn’t tell her ‘no.’”
Tammie said she knew she needed to take care of her husband, so she started asking questions about becoming a donor. “We had a feeling that we would be a match,” she said. “It was almost like we knew this was the path we were supposed to take.”
Dr. Luke Shen performed Michael’s transplant at Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant on August 26, 2022. Michael said his whole team, from nurses and physicians to nephrologists, was great, and that his recovery was quicker than expected. With his kidney working properly, he had more energy and was no longer on pain medications. Two months after surgery he was a lot more active, working and enjoying life.
Tammie said her recovery was easy with minimal pain and discomfort. Within three weeks she was feeling normal and in eight weeks she was back in her career as an insurance agent. She credits Michelle Salazar, RN, her pre-transplant donor nurse with providing support as someone she could reach out to with questions or turn to just to vent.
Both Tammie and Michael have become strong advocates for organ donation. “As a recipient, I can’t thank everyone enough for even thinking of being a donor,” said Michael.