Husband Who Received Wife's Kidney Marks First Anniversary of Surgery: "Grateful to Family and Medical Team"

His son and wife both offered to donate
Recovered after a blood-type-incompatible transplant
First successful blood-type-incompatible kidney transplant in 2009
Reached 500 cases in February this year

A man who received a kidney transplant from his wife expressed his gratitude to his family and medical team on the first anniversary of his surgery.

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital said on October 30 that Kang Sedong, 63, who underwent a kidney transplant, had sent a letter of thanks to his family and medical team to mark the first anniversary of the surgery.

Kidney transplant patient Kang Sedong (left) and his physician, Professor Yoon Hyeeun of the Division of Nephrology at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.

Kang, who had generally been in good health, visited a nearby hospital last year after a routine health checkup showed that his creatinine level, an indicator of kidney function, was higher than normal. He was later diagnosed with acute kidney failure of unknown cause and began dialysis in March 2025.

His son, who was working overseas, returned to Korea and offered to donate a kidney to his father, who had suddenly needed dialysis. He did not tell his wife about his decision, worried that she would be concerned. But when she learned that their son had gone to the hospital for pre-transplant tests, she stepped forward and offered to donate her kidney instead. In the end, Kang received a kidney from his wife, despite their incompatible blood types. After the blood-type-incompatible kidney transplant was successfully completed, Kang recovered with his family's care and has now returned to his daily life, including resuming work.

Despite his family's modest means, Kang moved from Haenam, at the southern tip of the country, to Seoul to attend university and continue his studies. At the time, his wife, who worked at a bank, supported him by treating him to dinner after his classes. During his final semester, she also helped pay his tuition, becoming a steadfast source of support.

"My wife, who is the same age as me, gave me so much when we were young, and now she has even given me one of her kidneys," Kang said. "I could spend my whole life trying to repay her and it still wouldn't be enough." He added, "A year ago today, I entered the operating room with a sense of fear. Today, one year later, I am welcoming a new morning with gratitude," expressing his thanks to his family and friends. He also thanked the medical staff who worked hard on his surgery and treatment, including Professor Park Suncheol and Professor Yoon Hyeeun of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.

Kang's physician, Professor Yoon Hyeeun of the Division of Nephrology, said during an outpatient appointment on October 20, "All of his kidney function indicators have improved since the surgery, so we were able to reduce the medication he was taking." She added, "It is not an easy decision for a family member to donate a kidney. The strong love and support of his family, with both his son and wife volunteering to donate, likely played a major role in his rapid recovery."

Park Suncheol, director of the Organ Transplant Center and a professor of Vascular and Transplant Surgery, said, "With the introduction of blood-type-incompatible kidney transplants, patients who once had little chance of receiving a transplant because they could not find a suitable donor can now begin a new life, as Kang has." He added, "We will continue to do our best to offer hope to patients for whom organ transplantation is the only treatment option."

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital's kidney transplant program began on March 25, 1969, when the hospital, then known as Myeongdong St. Mary's Hospital, performed the first successful kidney transplant in Korea. The program continued at Gangnam St. Mary's Hospital before moving to the current Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, where it has helped advance kidney transplantation in Korea. The hospital has also built up clinical experience in complex transplant procedures, including blood-type-incompatible transplants; living- and deceased-donor kidney transplants after desensitization for highly sensitized patients; transplants for patients with refractory blood disorders; and transplants designed to induce immune tolerance.

Since first performing a successful blood-type-incompatible kidney transplant in May 2009, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital has steadily increased the number of procedures, reaching 500 cases in February 2026.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.