Five decades post post-transplant: Organ recipient celebrates milestone

She was 21 years old and looking at an uncertain future when Lynn Kempf received a kidney transplant at IU Health.

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

As Lynn Kempf walked into a room filled with IU Health transplant team members on a recent Monday morning, she was treated like royalty.

“This really is a miracle of life and medicine today,” said IU Health’s Dr. Asif Sharfuddin, medical director of kidney and pancreas transplant. Kempf is among a select few people who thrive 50 years after receiving a transplant.

Consider this: Because of her new kidney, she was able to obtain a nursing degree and go on to work with lung, heart, and kidney transplant patients; she married; and she became a mother to a daughter.

“I suspect I went into nursing because I have a long medical history starting as a child and I was influenced by all the great nurses I had when I was in and out of the hospital,” said Kempf, who turn 71 this month. At a young age she was diagnosed with chronic glomerulonephritis, an inflammation that damages the filters in the kidney that remove waste products in the blood.

A native of Monrovia, Ind., at the age of 21, Kempf received a kidney from her sister – 18 months younger. Her sister died 15 years ago, and her kidney continues to provide Kempf a long healthy life. Kempf has since moved to Keene, N.H to be closer to her daughter and two grandchildren.

At IU Health many organ recipients receive kidney and liver transplant from living donors. Living donors help give renewed health to people experiencing kidney failure and can reduce or eliminate the need for the patient to start dialysis. A healthy kidney from a living donor can function better and last longer than a kidney from a deceased donor.

A living kidney donor isn’t necessarily related to the recipient. Compatibility is based on blood type and tissue typing. Age and size are also taken into consideration. If a healthy donor is incompatible with the intended recipient, the donor may opt to be part of paired donation. Also known as a “donor swap” recipient/donor pairs are matched according to compatibility. Over the years, IU Health’s kidney transplant team has performed several paired donations. Some chains have included multiple people.

“We are so pleased to celebrate this 50^th anniversary with Lynn. Her kidney, donated by her sister, is among the longest functioning kidneys transplanted at IU Health since the program began in 1965,” said Dr. Sharfuddin. “A kidney transplant from a living donor is expected to last 17 to 20 years. Exceeding the expected outcomes is what we want for all our patients, whether they receive a kidney from a living or deceased donor. Lynn is a great example of how taking care of yourself and partnering with your transplant team contributes to long kidney function after transplant.”

Since her transplant, Kempf has pursued her love of travel, sports, and building her family.

“Because of my transplant I was able to resume my active lifestyle. I met my husband, Greg, on a ski trip,” said Kempf. They were married in 1982. Greg Kempf died in 2023.

After obtaining her nursing degree, Kempf worked 35 years at IU Health Methodist Hospital as a transplant coordinator for lung and heart patients. Over the years, her co-workers became like family.

So, her recent celebration was a party for everyone.

“I’ve known Lynn for 20 plus years. She used to babysit my kids,” said nurse Wendy Rosenberger. “She’s a caring person and a great role model, not only as a nurse but also as a friend.”

Another friend and former co-worker Susan Stoops Watson recalled when she and Kempf decided to walk the Indy Mini Marathon.

“We were in our 40s and when we got around 38^th Street, I told Lynn I was ready to give up,” said Watson. “She yelled out, ‘I had a kidney transplant, I’m on steroids, and my feet hurt. We are going to finish this.’”

“I told my husband later that I finished that mini marathon because of Lynn. She is so positive and encouraging.”

Nurse Danyel Gooch is another one of Kempf’s friends and former co-workers.

“I was lucky enough to work with Lynn as a transplant coordinator. She impressed me early on by her passion for transplant, patient advocacy, and pregnancy after transplant. Her gratitude for the precious gift shared by her sister and that kidney working for 50 years really is a testimony to the miracle of transplant. Transplant gets in your blood. Transplant is so much more than what we do, it is who we are, and Lynn exemplifies that.”

Kempf had few words to say but the life she lives speaks volumes.

Not only has she completed a mini marathon, become a wife, mother and grandmother, since her transplant, but she has also traveled to Africa. She remains active by volunteering, knitting, and spending quality time with her friends and family.