A Second Chance at Life: Nicki Mahon’s Kidney Transplant Story
I have always had a very full life. I have five children and 12 grandchildren, and I own and actively run my own business. Before this experience, the only time I’d ever been in the hospital was to have my children.
Seemingly out of nowhere, in the spring of 2015, I started feeling sick. At first, I kept pushing through, but eventually I reached the point where I couldn’t keep going and had to go to the hospital. It turned out I was septic, and my kidneys were failing. As I was recovering, I believed I was returning to normal.
Since my doctor and I felt I was recovering well, I went on a family trip that June. A couple of days into the trip, I felt terrible, but I didn’t know why. I had relatives staying near where we were visiting my daughter and we decided to meet them for dinner. The last thing I remember is driving in the car to dinner. My family told me that I ate and talked, but when I got up to leave, I suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
My daughter Ali gave me CPR while they called 911. I was in the hospital for 10 days, and was put into a medically induced coma to allow my body to recover.
I am grateful to have survived all of that. When I returned home in August, my doctor told me that my kidney function was terrible and I was going to have to start dialysis. I was afraid to begin dialysis and decided to find a new doctor who would give us more options.
We found a new doctor at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. Right away, he told me about the option of having a kidney transplant. I said, tell me what to do! I got all my testing done and we began looking for a donor. Several people were tested but no one was approved to donate.
During the summer, my daughter Mimi was determined to be my donor. The transplant center had been looking for a direct donor, and while Mimi was approved to donate, she was unable to donate directly to me because of antibodies.
It will be 10 years in January since I received my kidney transplant. My doctor says he thinks the kidney will last my lifetime—I hope it does and believe it will.
Nicki Mahon
However, we had heard of paired exchange, which is when two incompatible donor-recipient pairs “swap” kidneys, and she wanted to pursue that option. Mimi was relentless—she contacted her transplant coordinator and urged the center to consider paired donation with her as my donor.
We donated through the National Kidney Registry’s (NKR’s) paired donation program on January 4, 2017. Mimi had her donation surgery in the morning, and her kidney went to someone in Washington, D.C., while I had my transplant in the afternoon and my kidney came from someone in Atlanta.
Receiving a kidney transplant was truly amazing—I felt better immediately. It will be 10 years in January since I received my kidney transplant. My doctor says he thinks the kidney will last my lifetime—I hope it does and believe it will. I am very careful. I still work, I still follow around the grandkids—it’s just like my normal nice life. I can’t say enough to express my gratitude for this process.
When I can, I enjoy competing in the Donor Games. I love going to Connecticut for the Championship and watching the living donors and transplant recipients compete—it’s so inspiring.
I have been so exceptionally grateful for the whole process. It has really given me a second chance at life.
About the Author
Nicki Mahon lives in Hamilton, Ohio. She was married to her husband, Dale, for almost 45 years until he passed away in January 2024. Together they raised five children: Nick, Nate, and triplets Ali, Mimi, and Chris. They have 12 grandchildren and a dog, Polly.
For the past 20 years, Nicki has owned and operated Goldie the Clown & Co. LLC, a professional entertainment company providing family and corporate services. She spends most of her time making memories with her family, friends, and clients.
Nicki is very grateful to her daughters, Ali and Mimi, the Christ Hospital, and the NKR for her second chance at life.
