April is National Donate Life Month, a time to raise awareness about organ, eye, and tissue donation and the lives it can save.

One Chattanooga woman knows that impact firsthand.

In April 2024, Jessica Stotz, an anatomy professor at Southern Adventist University, donated a kidney to her mom. Less than two years later, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to prove what donors are capable of.

The backstory

Stotz’s mom has polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a progressive condition that eventually led to kidney failure. When Stotz and her sisters offered to help, their mom refused.

“My mom explicitly said no to her daughters being tested to become kidney donors, because PKD is genetic,” Stotz said. “She didn't want us donating a kidney and then needing one later.”

Stotz got tested anyway.

She learned she didn’t have PKD — but that was just the beginning. Months of additional screening followed to make sure she could safely donate.

“They do not allow you to donate a kidney until they know that you don’t need two,” she said.

Stotz was eventually cleared for donation and shared the news with her mom on Thanksgiving in 2023.

“I said, ‘I know you didn't want us to be tested, but I have undergone the testing, and I would like to give a kidney to somebody. I’d like it to be you.”

Her mom agreed, and the transplant was successfully completed on April 23, 2024.

A life-saving gift is definitely something to smile about. | Photo provided by Jessica Stotz

The climb

After the surgery, Stotz learned about Kidney Donor Athletes, an organization that spreads the word that kidney donors can lead healthy, adventurous lives.

Stotz signed up to be a member, and last summer, she learned about the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I got an email that was like, we're climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Do you want to come?” In case you aren’t familiar, that’s Africa’s highest mountain.

Stotz said yes, and the “One Kidney Climb” took place March 4-14 of this year. Not surprisingly, the high altitude didn’t make things easy.

“There were 15 kidney donors on the trip, and two had altitude-related struggles,” Stotz said. “That’s pretty on par with the general population.”

After six days, she and 12 other donors reached the 19,341-ft summit on World Kidney Day.

“Standing on the roof of Africa alongside other donors sends a strong message,” she said. “Donors are strong, resilient, and capable of extraordinary things.”

Stotz hopes her story encourages others to consider kidney donation.

Most of these people donated a kidney before climbing Africa's tallest mountain. | Photo provided by Jessica Stotz

The here and now

Right now, 15,800+ people are living with kidney failure in Tennessee, and around 2,500 are on the transplant waiting list.

If you’re interested in becoming a donor, you can learn more and check your eligibility online.

When it comes to donating her kidney, Stotz said she only has one regret.

“I had just one to give, and I can't do it again.”