Sevierville teen looks forward to new possibilities after kidney transplant

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Sevierville teen got the birthday present of a lifetime after receiving a kidney transplant last week.

While recovering from his surgery, 6 News checked in with him and his family and learned how receiving this lifesaving transplant is a bittersweet moment.

“It’s as if a heavy weight has been lifted. There’s no real other way to describe it,” said the newly 17-year-old Matthew Curtin.

Curtin has been battling End-Stage Renal Disease since he was 13. Just over a year ago, he was placed on the Vanderbilt Medical Center waitlist to receive a kidney.

“It really is just a vital organ coming back into the body. So obviously that’s going to have a major impact on overall health,” he said.

Curtin has remained active in school, work, and band, but he said this transplant will open doors for him he hasn’t been able to explore before.

“Everything from being able to be out more active and even dietary, able to eat more of what I want,” said Curtin.

In the months leading to his transplant, Curtin was on dialysis. Now that he has a new kidney, he said it will add years to his life. His mother called it his belated 17th birthday present.

“I was in tears on both of the calls, most of the ride there,” said Beth Curtin. “The wave of my emotions was just a big roller coaster, we are so grateful.”

She said part of that emotion was learning his kidney came from a deceased organ donor.

“We got that call, and in the worst possible moment of their life, they chose to give this child — this wonderful kid another chance at living,” she said Beth Curtin.

While she said they do not know the identity of the person who donated their kidney, she is grateful her son got that second chance.

“This kid has always been a hero… to everyone,” she said.

According to the American Kidney Fund, about 1 in 3 Tennesseans on the kidney transplant waiting list received a transplant in 2023.

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