A Life-Changing Illness at Age 3

Stephen Gross was a happy, healthy baby growing up in Massachusetts. But at just 3 years old, his world changed forever when he developed chronic kidney disease from a severe E. coli infection.

For the next 30 years, Stephen did what he could to stay healthy. He ran track in high school, pushing through the challenges his damaged kidneys created. But in his early 30s, his condition worsened dramatically.

"He was hanging on by a thread," his mother Susan recalled.

Facing the Inevitable

The Gross family, now living in York, Maine, had to confront the harsh reality: Stephen needed dialysis and a kidney transplant to survive.

"Dialysis keeps you from dying, but it's hard. It's really, really hard," Susan explained, watching her son endure the grueling treatments three times a week.

Stephen described his experience with dialysis simply: "Very difficult."

A Mother's Instinct

When Stephen joined the waiting list for a kidney transplant, Susan didn't hesitate. She went through the extensive screening process to see if she would be a match.

"I think it's that instinct of 'OK, I've got to protect my child,'" she said.

The testing process took approximately nine months. Susan was determined to give her son the gift of life for a second time.

The results came back: she was a perfect match.

The Surgery

In May 2023, mother and son reported to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Surgeons successfully transplanted one of Susan's kidneys to Stephen.

Just three days later, they both left the hospital. The transplant was a complete success.

New Life, New Dreams

The donation transformed both their lives in unexpected ways.

Stephen, now 35 and living in Michigan, is healthy and happy, no longer tethered to a dialysis machine.

Susan discovered a new passion: competitive swimming. A year after her surgery, she joined other organ donors at the 2024 Transplant Games of America in Alabama.

In her first race—the 500 freestyle—she won gold. By the end of the games, she had earned five medals total: three gold and two silver.

A Mother's Love

"Would've given him both," Susan said about her kidneys, meaning every word.

For a mother who watched her son battle kidney disease since age 3, who saw him endure 30 years of declining health, who witnessed the suffering of dialysis—giving one kidney wasn't sacrifice. It was the most natural thing in the world.

It was love made manifest, a mother's instinct fulfilled.