Royal and Natallie's Story

“I was always healthy. I lived a normal life and I would even go to the gym twice a day,” said Natallie Cruz, 25.

A rare case occurred for Natallie after she gave birth to her baby girl on November 7, 2020. After delivery, Natallie began to experience weakness, fatigue, tremors, and she was speechless. She knew something was wrong. When the doctors and nurses came into her room, they noticed an abnormal amount of body fluids and rushed her to the operating room. Her organs began to fail, and her kidney was the first. After many tests and surgery, Natallie was diagnosed with a rare blood condition known as atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). aHUS is a genetic disease that causes tiny blood clots to form in your blood vessels, blocking blood flow to important organs.

Natallie was in end-stage renal failure and needed a kidney transplant. She spent a month in the hospital undergoing dialysis. During dialysis treatment, Natallie had no energy and was unable to perform her mommy duties. “It was very scary and challenging,” said Natallie. “I started to feel depressed.”

Her fiancé, Royal Johnson, 30, was willing to donate his kidney; however, he was not a match. Fortunately, the pair was able to go through the Kidney Exchange Program at the Methodist Transplant Institute where living donor kidneys are swapped so each recipient receives a compatible transplant. “I couldn’t continue to watch her suffer; she is the mother of my child,” said Royal. “I knew the sacrifices I was going to make, and I knew it was going to change my life.”

The transplant successfully occurred on July 7, 2022. “Dr. Eric Treat did amazing! The entire team was very helpful and made sure we were taken care of,” said Natallie. “The whole process has made our relationship ten times stronger,” said Royal. Since then, the couple has fully recovered and are enjoying parenthood.