Double Blessing: New Mother Receives New Kidney

Pregnancy changes a woman’s life. But for Jackie Burasco, getting pregnant may have saved her life. 

It was May 2022 when Jackie, then 28, went in for a routine prenatal appointment. Tests showed that protein levels in her urine were elevated, but her OB-GYN assured her the condition was relatively normal during pregnancy, and probably wasn’t a big deal. Still, she referred Jackie to a nephrologist. 

That’s when Jackie’s condition became a very big deal: She was diagnosed with Stage 4 chronic kidney disease.

Jackie was shocked. She’d played volleyball in college and had always been healthy. It seemed unfathomable when the nephrologist told her she may have had kidney issues her whole life, but had never known it. 

Jackie’s whole life was upended. She had to quit her job, and was unable to play volleyball—her first love. Her condition also carried several risks. She might not be able to carry her baby all the way to her October due date, and future pregnancies might not be possible. 

“It definitely scared me,” said Jackie, but she was determined to keep a positive attitude. “It’s not something you did or didn’t do; it’s just something that happens. I knew if I was mopey and sad it was going to be even worse, so I might as well be happy.”

In July, she was admitted to Saint Luke’s to begin kidney dialysis treatments. Things went well for a few weeks, but by the beginning of August, Jackie’s blood pressure was spiking, and she was on a lot of medication. Although she was still only at 30 weeks of pregnancy, her physicians decided to perform a C-section.  

Her baby boy, Brooks, was born on August 10. Despite breathing issues because he was premature, Brooks progressed nicely and was released was from the NICU several weeks later. 

Because her pregnancy ultimately led to her diagnosis, “My husband says that God put me in the right place,” said Jackie. “If we had waited a couple of years to get pregnant, I might not have been able to have him.”

After Brooks was born, Jackie was still dependent on a dialysis schedule that she’d established with Matthew Wilkinson, MD, a surgeon with Saint Luke’s kidney and liver transplant program. But what she really needed was a transplant, the ideal approach for someone in kidney failure. Although patients can manage kidney failure on dialysis indefinitely, data show that, on average, transplant patients live longer than those on dialysis. In addition, it improves a patient’s quality of life, removing time-consuming dialysis treatments—something that’s especially important for a new mother. 

“There’s a very strong push, especially with young people, to get them transplanted,” Dr. Wilkinson said.

Jackie hadn’t been eligible for transplant while she was pregnant, but now she was, and she was placed on the transplant list in January 2023. However, with roughly 10,000 people nationwide awaiting donor kidneys—and 200 at Saint Luke’s alone—she had a potentially long wait ahead.

Six months passed, and Jackie was approaching her 30th birthday. “I jokingly told my husband, leading up to my birthday, that all I wanted was a kidney,” she said.

Then it happened.

The call came at 3 a.m. on her birthday. Jackie had been planning a trip to St. Louis, but that quickly turned into a trip to Saint Luke’s. 

“Fortunately, I already had a bag packed,” she said.

Jackie was in good hands. Saint Luke’s is a leader in this kind of surgery, having performed the region’s first kidney transplant more than 50 years ago. Jameson Forster, MD, director of abdominal transplant and hepatobiliary surgery, performed the surgery, and all went well. Jackie’s new kidney started working immediately. 

Dr. Wilkinson says that Jackie’s young age and overall health contributed to her successful outcome. 

“The two most common reasons for transplant are high blood pressure and diabetes,” said Dr. Wilkinson. “Someone who’s 30 years old, like she was, is not generally going to have those problems. That makes it much more straightforward for us.”

Afterward, Jackie found that she had more energy and was soon able to start taking short walks. She’s even been able to return to the volleyball court, starting a coaching job at Lee’s Summit High School. Her kidney transplant gave her back some of her old life, and allowed her to start a new one with her growing family. 

“Saint Luke’s was great through everything,” she said.

Nationwide, more than 100,000 people are awaiting organ transplant, so organ donors are critical. Some organs, including kidneys, can come from either living or deceased donors, increasing the potential donor pool. 

“The best way to help is to become a donor,” said Dr. Wilkinson. “Never rule yourself out.” 

To find out how you can become an organ donor, contact Saint Luke’s.