Roma man donates kidney to ‘happiest father in the world’

Jesus Amando Garcia, who goes by Amando, was around 40-years-old when one of his kidneys began to fail. After going through several tests he received his first kidney transplant in 1999 from a deceased organ donor.

Isabel Garcia, Amando’s daughter, recalled being around 9-years-old when her father had to travel to San Antonio and begin dialysis.

The now 34-year-old McAllen resident remembers her father being on dialysis for a little less than a year before receiving the kidney donation.

Because of that donation the now 69-year-old Amando, a Roma resident, was able to continue making memories with his family.

But that all changed nearly four years ago, when that kidney also began to fail him.

“When the other one started failing he was a little bummed out in the hospital right before his birthday, and my dad was counting down the days ‘I almost made it,’” Isabel said, recalling when her father told her that his transplant was so close to the 23-year mark.

Amando agreed with his daughter’s account.

“It was very difficult for me to begin to feel sick again and begin dialysis again,” Amando said Friday.

She remembered laughing and reminding him of how fortunate he had been that the kidney had lasted more than the average timespan.

Although an organ which is transplanted from a cadaveric donation, or deceased donation, lasts an average of seven to nine years, according to data by Ohio State University

Amando’s first transplant lasted about 22-and-a-half years.

“In October 2021 I began dialysis again until Feb. 11 when I had the transplant,” Amando said. “It was something very beautiful because Alex offered himself and from the start was saying he would be my match.”

Amando was referring to Alexandro Muñoz, a 48-year-old Roma resident and his son-in-law.

Alex had heard about his father-in-law’s condition from his wife and Amando’s daughter, Dorali Garcia Muñoz, who explained that due to Amando’s age he could no longer get on the transplant list and would need a organ donation from a live donor.

“That was really tough to hear,” Isabel said. “He did undergo dialysis for a couple of months and that was really hard on our family because there’s three of us in health care and we kind of knew what that meant for him and what that meant for our future as a family and our kids, they have eight grandkids now.”

Although Amando didn’t want anyone in his family to get tested to see if they were a match, his family was determined to help him.

“When my wife was telling me this I don’t know how to explain it but something told me ‘yo get tested, do it, try it, it will work,’” Alex said.

And that’s exactly what he did.

As they made their way to San Antonio, Alex reassured his wife and explained they had nothing to lose. If he was a match or not they would find a way to help his father-in-law.

“After all the blood drawing and all of that we got back that it was a match, so it could be done,” Alex said. “I told him right away ‘Orale’ let’s go.”

He wanted the procedure to happen as soon as possible to help give his father-in-law a better quality of life that no longer required him to go through dialysis three to four times a week.

Isabel recalled the day Alex’s results came back and he was “pretty much a perfect match,” she said, adding that it brought a wave of relief.

Around October 2022, on Amando’s birthday, Alex and Dorali decided to share the good news in a rather interesting way.

Isabel recalled her sister and Alex gifting their father a plushie of a kidney along with a frame with a countdown and the words “ … days left para un riñon mas chingon.”

“I recall on … the day of my birthday they came to my house in Roma and they told me the news that the match had come back well, everything had come out perfectly,” Amando said.

Amando recalled having mixed feelings about accepting Alex’s kidney.

“In the beginning I didn’t want it because I found it difficult for him to do something like that,” Jesus said, adding that Alex continued to insist on helping him. “He did everything without me knowing … he informed himself and made the appointments in San Antonio because he was sure he would be my match.”

Amando felt unsure about receiving a kidney from Alex, due to being uncertain of the potential changes it could cause stating that the couple has kids and he was thinking of their future.

He didn’t want to burden them by taking Alex’s kidney.

For Alex, however, this wasn’t just an opportunity to help his father-in-law but also a way to honor the memory of his own father, who died in 2019 from kidney failure.

The doctor told Alex’s mother that his father had refused to go through dialysis.

“I didn’t want my wife to go through that (experience losing a parent),” Alex said with a shaky voice.

Amando eventually came around and decided to go through with the procedure.

Before they could schedule the surgery however, Amando recalled having to go to San Antonio to get tests done to determine if he was ready to get a transplant.

Although the surgery was initially scheduled for December 2021, Amando was unable to go through with it due to an infection.

However, it was rescheduled for Feb. 11, 2022 the day that has now become an important date for the family.

“It (the match) was something that up until that day (of the surgery) that I just couldn’t believe,” Amando said. “It was a miracle.”

On a cool Friday morning, they arrived at the hospital around 8 a.m. and Amando couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

He recalled the doctors taking him in for surgery around noon that day with the procedure taking about an hour or hour and half.

At the hospital they told them that it would take some time for the kidney to get used to the recipient’s body, however, the day after the surgery Alex recalled hearing about his father-in-law’s lab work and his kidney function was great.

“The day after the surgery … I was walking around the hospital and he was moving better than me,” Alex said jokingly, adding that there was a noticeable change. “His color changed, everything changed right away so it was worth it.”

Since that day Amando has continued to improve.

Alex explained that oftentimes he forgets that he donated a kidney until he sees the scar, “not to say that it wasn’t important or anything but … to me it was just something that felt right.”

He added that he knew his father-in-law took good care of himself and saw how strictly he would follow his medication and diet.

“It’s worth it, you’re helping somebody, you’re giving the gift of life,” Alex said.

Isabel’s voice trembled a bit as she expressed her gratitude for Alex and his selflessness, allowing them to have a now healthy father who is able to continue making memories with his family and grandkids.

“I don’t even want to begin to think where my dad would be or his health status if it hadn’t been for Alex,” Isabel said. “It’s just a beautiful gift of life that he’s been able to receive.”

Isabel added she is now signed up as an organ donor because of her dad and the impact organ donations have had on his life.

Now years after the surgery Alex and Amando continue to celebrate the day of the transplant, calling each other on the anniversary of the donation.

“He still has that little frame there by his bedside,” Isabel said.

Amando encourages others in a similar situation to not be afraid of a transplant because it is a beautiful thing that ultimately saves lives.

“I’m the happiest father in the world with my wife and daughters,” Jesus said, adding that he is grateful for his family.

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