Editor’s Note: Nationwide, there are more than 100,000 patients waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, and every day, 16 people die waiting for a transplant from either a deceased or living donor. As part of an ongoing series, Bread Financial is spotlighting the stories of associates who have selflessly displayed our company value to “pay it forward” by taking part in live organ donation.
When Taylor Brown, a chief of staff at Bread Financial®, married her husband Justin in 2011, she knew one day he or a member of his family could require a kidney transplant. Justin and his mother, brothers and uncles all suffer from polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder that causes cysts to form on the kidneys, eventually leading to kidney failure.
“About two years ago, my mother-in-law, Joyce, told us that she was going to go on the transplant list and that she had to start dialysis,” said Taylor. “That was a shock for everybody because it was a complete 180 regarding her health. It really impacted my husband because it made the disease that much more real.”
With most of Justin’s family ineligible to donate due to the hereditary nature of the disease, Taylor decided to see if she was a donor candidate and went to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center for testing in October 2022.
Several months later, when her intensive testing was complete, Taylor discovered she wasn’t a tissue match for her mother-in-law. However, she was eligible to be a potential donor for someone else, so she decided to remain on the donation list.
“I remember I was sitting at my desk between meetings, and I got a call from the hospital to remain on the list, and I was kind of like, ‘yeah, yeah, sure, fine, whatever’, and never thought I would hear about it again. But then in December of last year, the hospital called and said, ‘We found a match for you and Joyce, and your surgery is scheduled for March 13.’ I was stunned!
My husband and I surprised Joyce with the news on Christmas Day in front of our whole family. We wrapped a box with a save-the-date and a picture of two kidneys inside. It was incredibly special and emotional to be able to do that.”
Taylor Brown surprises her mother-in-law, Joyce, with news of her their respective kidney donation and transplant.
The pair would go on to be part of a rare 10-person living kidney donation chain, a complicated procedure linking together multiple donors wishing to donate but who weren’t a direct match to their intended recipient, most often a friend or loved one. The chain was kicked off by a donor who wasn’t donating on behalf of anyone but rather donating as a “non-directed” donor out of the kindness of her heart. Through the chain, Taylor’s kidney would go to a woman named Patti Mally, and Joyce received a kidney from another donor, Nicole Raber.
Taylor and Patti share a moment in the hospital following Taylor's surgery.
From testing to surgery and recovery, the entire process took 18 months, requiring Taylor to take advantage of Bread Financial’s flexible time off policy.
“He was so supportive,” Taylor said when referring to her manager, Bread Financial Chief Financial Officer Perry Beberman. “My team gave me nothing but support, and when you have a work team that advocates for you like family, that's huge. It makes it so much less stressful taking time off because I knew that they got it, they cared.”
Taylor also found support from Chief Credit Risk and Operations Officer Tammy McConnaughey, as she had donated one of her kidneys to her father the year before.
“She answered all my weird questions during the recovery process, so I didn't feel alone going through it. There is a lot of information on the kidney donation process, but there isn’t much support for the donors after the surgery. I really valued having Tammy there to support me, not just as a close colleague, but as a mentor,” she said.
Nine months post-surgery, Taylor is still in touch with Patti, who before the surgery was confined to a wheelchair as a result of the disease and is now back to work and off dialysis. Joyce’s quality of life has also greatly improved after her surgery, and Taylor recalled that she “changed colors” almost immediately and has since returned to work and visited two national parks. Next year, she will travel overseas for the first time when she visits Paris in the summer with Taylor's daughter, her granddaughter, Elizabeth.
To commemorate the experience, Taylor got a matching tattoo with Joyce’s brother, Alan Shell, who donated a kidney to his and Joyce’s brother Brian, serving as a constant reminder of her selfless decision to give the gift of life to Joyce and Patti.
Taylor shows of a matching tattoo with a family member to commemorate her kidney donation experience.
“I'm a huge advocate for organ donation,” she said. “You really have to understand what it means. But I think if more people knew you can have a full, normal life while also saving someone else’s life, there would be more people open to donating.”
About Bread Financial®
Bread Financial® (NYSE: BFH) is a tech-forward financial services company providing simple, personalized payment, lending and saving solutions. The company creates opportunities for its customers and partners through digitally enabled choices that offer ease, empowerment, financial flexibility and exceptional customer experiences. Driven by a digital-first approach, data insights and white-label technology, Bread Financial delivers growth for its partners through a comprehensive suite of payment solutions that includes private label and co-brand credit cards and Bread Pay® buy now, pay later products. Bread Financial also offers direct-to-consumer products that give customers more access, choice and freedom through its branded Bread Cashback® American Express® Credit Card, Bread Rewards™ American Express® Credit Card and Bread Savings® products.
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Bread Financial is powered by its approximately 7,000 global associates and is committed to sustainable business practices. To learn more about Bread Financial, visit breadfinancial.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Instagram.
