Kidney transplant saves Minnesota teen exactly 17 years after his first transplant

MINNEAPOLIS -- A selfless act from a stranger saved a Minnesota teenager's life, and it came at the perfect time.

Gavin Dahms was born with underdeveloped kidneys.

"He had just enough kidney function to survive to birth," said Jessica Dahms, Gavin's mom.

Just before Gavin's first birthday, on Dec. 7, 2005, he got a donated kidney that lasted through his childhood years.

Then, in 2020, his kidney function started declining and he needed to go back on dialysis.

"You basically get hooked up to this machine for four hours for two days," said Gavin.

His mom was not a match, yet she still donated her kidney to the national living donor registry to improve her son's chances to get a match.

"It was nice of her to be willing to go through all that," he said.

A few months after Jessica's donation, Gavin's "perfect" match came through. His second transplant happened on Dec. 7, 2022 --exactly 17 years to the date from his first one.

"I just had this peace about it knowing it's supposed to happen this way. This is the way it's supposed to go," said Jessica.

M Health Fairview transplant surgeon Dr. Raja Kandaswamy helped with both of Gavin's transplants.  

"There are several instances in medical care where we feel that fate overcomes facts, and this may be one of those examples," said Kandaswamy.

He says the advancements in organ pairing helped them find the nearly-perfect match for Gavin.

"The chances of rejection of this kidney, which is often an issue in transplantation, are much lower when the matching is better," said Kandaswamy.

Even with all the medical advancements, saving a life comes down to one selfless person.

"A woman in Wisconsin, who just out of the goodness of her heart, felt this pull to donate a kidney. She had no reason to, no one in her life needed a kidney, she just did it," said Jessica.

During both stints of dialysis, Gavin needed to stay close to M Health Fairview Children's Masonic Hospital, but his home is in Marshall, two hours away from Minneapolis. Gavin and his mom were able to stay for free at the Ronald McDonald House, just a few blocks from the hospital.

This is an option for families who need long-term care and an affordable long-term place to stay.

If you'd like to save a life, you can learn more about becoming a living donor by clicking here.