Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital marks first remote donation kidney transplant

A South Florida teen had a successful surgery at a local hospital as she was in desperate need of a new kidney.

On Wednesday, 18-year-old Arianna Crockett became the hospital’s first ever recipient of a remote donation kidney transplant. The kidney was flown across the country from Denver, Colorado to South Florida.

“Mom got the call from the doctor that you need to pick her up from school right now and bring her to the [emergency room]. We got there, they gave me fluids because I was dehydrated and one of the neurologists came in and said, ‘She needs to go into dialysis,'” said Crockett.

The pediatric kidney transplant program at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood launched nearly eight years ago. This year, they’ve performed 35 successful transplants, including Crockett’s.

“We tried to do them in children because of such superior outcomes. For the children, it is much better than if they get a kidney from the transplant waitlist, than from the deceased donor waitlist,” said Linda Chen, MD, Surgical Director, Living Donor & Abdominal Transplant Program.

The senior, who attends Somerset Academy in Deerfield Beach, has been battling a rare condition called star syndrome most of her life. The condition has impacted multiple parts of her body, including her kidneys. She had to have one removed at an early age.

Earlier this year, her condition took a serious turn when she went into complete kidney failure. After doing extensive research of relatives both in the states and in her hometown of Jamaica, it was concluded that the wife of Crockett’s cousin would be the perfect match.

“The possibility of having a match is very exciting because you get another chance of life and another opportunity and it’s just exciting,” said Crockett.

Following the surgery, doctors said the kidney transplant was a success and since then, Crockett has been recovering. She is now looking forward to walking the stage at her high school graduation with a new kidney.

“I’m grateful that I got a transplant and have the opportunity to graduate with my class and have another stepping stone,” said Crockett.

Crockett is expected to get out of the hospital on Sunday.