YORK, Pa. — It was a gift one year in the making. York native Lori Hagar has finally received a kidney transplant after her public search for a living donor.
"It was the best Christmas present I could've gotten," said Hagar.
Hagar had been battling chronic kidney disease for over a decade. In 2022, she was placed on the deceased donor transplant list after she progressed to Stage 5 kidney disease.
Last year, FOX43 reported on Hagar's quest to find a living donor. She recruited her employer, First Capital Federal Credit Union, to help lead a public marketing campaign to spread her story.
“Without them, I would have been floundering and kind of like, ‘where do I start,'" said Hagar.
“Lori is such a fantastic person. To try and help her through this was absolutely wonderful," said Andrea Dethloff, who is Lori's boss at First Capital Federal Credit Union.
The company's campaign included placing 'Share your Spare' signs at each branch location in the region.
The months of searching eventually paid off with one phone call in late December.
"My [transplant office] said, 'You're getting a kidney,'" recalled Hagar, who was at work when she got the call. "It was like time stopped."
“We just stopped, and we were waiting with bated breath like, ‘Is this the moment?'" said Dethloff. "I think all of us were in shock, but super excited at the same time."
“The girls at my department jumped up and down, and there were hugs all around because they were such an integral part of my whole journey through this," said Hagar.
Hagar got her new kidney on January 4. After recovering at home for ten weeks, she returned back to the office.
Lori said she’s lucky she got her kidney when she did, adding that many more people on the transplant list wait several years. She wants to use her experience to encourage others to donate.
“You’re not only helping the person who is in need of the transplant, you’re changing their life and their family’s life as well.”