In May 2021, Adriana Castillo got the call of a lifetime.
 
The high school Spanish teacher had been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in 2006 and had been waiting almost 10 years to replace her kidneys. Polycystic kidney disease is an inherited disorder where clusters of cysts develop within the kidneys, causing them to enlarge and lose function over time.

“It’s the call that you wait for … it’s the most important thing you’ll receive — the call that you’re finally going to receive the gift of life,” Castillo said.
 
She had been put on the organ donation waiting list in 2012 and her name had finally come up to receive a kidney transplant.  

Unexpected delay 

Castillo was excited but nervous about going to San Francisco for her transplant surgery.  

“So we went up there, me and my family, and I was getting prepared for surgery,” she said. “I was so nervous when they were prepping me. I had to do some additional testing before the surgery.” 

Then the unthinkable happened — during these final tests for the transplant, one of her doctors found something unexpected. 

“In that testing she found I had a health issue that prevented me from having the transplant,” she said. “I was devastated, so sad, and everyone was trying to comfort me.”   

Castillo said it took her a while to process and accept her new reality. Being a person of faith, she kept a positive attitude and decided to try and help others who need transplants. When she can, Castillo volunteers at Donor Network West, an agency that saves and heals lives through organ and tissue donation for transplantation and research. 
 

More people waiting for transplants than donating

She hasn’t given up hope she can get back on the active waiting list. 

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get a transplant. I hope that’s the case,” Castillo said. “There are more people waiting for transplants than there are people giving the gift of life.” 

Castillo hopes awareness could change that. And with April being National Donate Life Month, it’s very possible this will be the time an organ transplant story resonates with the right donor match.

“There is such a long wait for transplant — it can take seven to 10 years, or longer,” she said.
 

The gift of life

Donor Network West’s Jaclyn Manzanedo, director of Donation Development, says the best way to help patients like Castillo is to register for organ donation and make those wishes known to your family. 

“If you'd like to be an organ donor, you can sign up on the donor registry on our DonorNetworkWest.org site,” Manzanedo said.  

Manzanedo said there are over 100,000 men, women and children in the nation waiting for an organ transplant and one donor can help up to 75 lives through both tissue and organ donation. 
 
Castillo said she also wants to help others because it empowers her as a person with a disability and helps her take a little bit of control. Resolving her condition depends on the life-saving gift of another generous organ donor. 

“My life depends on a higher power … and not just me. I want to do what I can,” she said of advocating for organ donation. “I’m a person of faith.”