Two little girls receive kidneys from same donor in Ukraine, ending years of dialysis
Two girls, aged two and four, are going home after receiving kidney transplants from the same deceased donor at a children's hospital in Lviv, western Ukraine, doctors announced on Oct. 8.
Sofia, aged two years and nine months, developed severe kidney failure following a serious infection and pneumonia in late 2025. She had been receiving dialysis while awaiting a transplant.
Four-year-old Bozhena was born with a urinary system defect and had required dialysis since the first days of her life. She waited four years for a donor kidney.
Both girls received kidneys from a 49-year-old deceased donor in Kyiv.
Surgeons performed the two operations simultaneously in the same operating room, working at separate tables. The procedures took approximately five hours.
The medical teams began operating while the donor organs were still being transported from Kyiv to Lviv, allowing surgeons to proceed with the transplants as soon as the kidneys arrived.
Both girls are now recovering well, with their test results within normal ranges, and have been discharged from hospital.
For Bozhena, the transplant has already brought a remarkable change. Previously limited to 500 milliliters of water a day, she can now drink without that restriction for the first time in a year.
To celebrate their discharge, hospital staff gave the girls presents, including water bottles.
"We are very grateful to the deceased donor's family for giving us this opportunity," Bozhena's mother, Tetiana Yashchuk, said.
Doctors at the Children's Medical Center in Lviv described transplantation as a chance for children to return to ordinary childhood activities, including attending school and living without constant dependence on dialysis.