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College student given ‘Gift of Hope,’ receives kidney transplant

Posted at 10:51 PM, Feb 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-01 00:51:55-05

SALT LAKE CITY -- The wait is over.

Twenty-year-old Truc Tran was diagnosed with Lupus when she was 16 years old and told she would need a new kidney.

Tran is a University of Utah student hoping to further her career in finance and accounting. Last week, a relatively new procedure changed her life when a donor family, who lost a 4-month-old, gave the gift of life.

Dr. Jeff Campsen performed the kidney transplant adding both smaller kidneys to her poorly functioning kidney.

“What’s super cool about that is those kidneys will grow, so in six months from now she'll have almost two normal sized kidneys as opposed to one transplanted kidney,” Campsen said.

Campsen said Tran’s surgery was a success – her kidney function is already going up as they grow they'll grow to fit her.

“I feel like there's no road blocks in the way now I can do more than I ever had. I just feel grateful to have this opportunity to start over again,” Tran said. “Donating an organ is one of the best things because it gives another person a chance to live life again. You’re just a happy healthy person again you can live life like a normal person.”

To be an organ donor, say yes on your driver's license or state ID card.

You can also go online to sign up at YesUtah.org.