“When I look back, I could not have asked for a better experience. They truly cared, and it meant so much.”
For Lucy Peniston, life has been defined by resilience, gratitude, and the power of compassionate care.
At just 22 years old, shortly after beginning a new chapter of life, including moving and getting married to her now husband of 45 years, Lucy was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure. The diagnosis came suddenly and without warning. “It was so fast and completely out of the blue for us,” Lucy recalls.
After six months on dialysis, Lucy received her first kidney transplant from a deceased donor in San Antonio, Texas. While that transplant gave her the chance to experience motherhood and welcome her daughter, it was only the beginning of a much longer journey.
Seven years later and now living in New Jersey, Lucy was in kidney failure once again as her body began rejecting the transplanted kidney. While back on dialysis for a year, Lucy was hesitant to pursue another transplant because of her experience the first time. “I remember being scared,” she says. “But my doctor told me I was too young to give up. Between that, and wanting to be there for my daughter, it gave me the strength to keep going.”
Lucy’s journey for her second kidney transplant brought her to Saint Barnabas Medical Center, now Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (CBMC). Here, she was met with encouragement from her care team, and found not just clinical excellence, but providers who treated her as a whole person and not just a patient. She was placed on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.
During this time, Lucy leaned heavily on her support system. “I have a huge family in Mexico, but they were far away. My husband and his mother were truly my support system, without them, none of this would have been possible.”
When Lucy received a call that a kidney was available for her, she was ready to try again. That decision has now given her more than three decades of life. “The kidney started working right away,” she says. “And for 36 years, I haven’t had a problem with it. That is a blessing I will never take for granted.”
From the very beginning Lucy remembers feeling a deep sense of trust in her physicians, including Shamkant Mulgaonkar, MD, then Chief of the Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division, Martin G. Jacobs, MD, nephrologist and pioneer in the field of dialysis and kidney transplant, and Dennis R. Filippone, MD, a visionary in kidney transplantation and surgeon for 44 years.
“Dr. Jacobs was one of the most beautiful human beings I have ever met, and Dr. Mulgaonkar was truly one of my angels. They were both always encouraging and positive,” Lucy shares. “You could feel their passion for what they did. I trusted them completely, as they were always reassuring and took the time to explain everything. When I look back, I could not have asked for a better experience. They truly cared, and it meant so much.”
Although Lucy’s original care team has since passed, their compassion has had a lasting impression on her life. Additionally, the standard of excellence they set has shaped the high level of care that guides her current providers today. “They touched so many lives, especially mine. They talked to me about my life, my daughter, and everything in between. They didn’t just take care of my kidney, they embraced me as a human being. They truly left a mark on my life,” Lucy adds.
Lucy is now under the care of Anup M. Patel, MD, transplant nephrologist, and Director of Transplant Research, Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, and a team of nurses who she describes as amazing and deeply supportive.
“They have been wonderful,” she says. “I’ve been very lucky, and they’ve always been there for me. I feel like I can tell them anything, I adore them, especially Dianne Duva, RN.”
Today, Lucy finds happiness in simple, meaningful moments. After a dedicated career in healthcare working for the Visiting Nurse Association Health Group, she now spends her time gardening, cooking, traveling, walking with her daughter and husband, and working as a florist clerk.
“Lucy’s story is a powerful reminder of what transplantation makes possible. It is not just years of life, but quality of life. Her positivity, resilience, and commitment to her health have all played a major role. It is inspiring to see patients like Lucy continue to thrive decades after transplant,” says Dr. Patel.
To Lucy, her transplant is more than a medical milestone, it is a gift that continues to shape her life every single day. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about the organ donor who gave me this gift [of life]. Because of them I’ve been able to see my daughter grow up and live a fulfilling life.”
Lucy’s advice she likes to share is simple: “Be appreciative and do your best. Today is a gift, and you don’t know what tomorrow may bring.”To register as an organ donor, visit registerme.org/cbmc. Learn more about the Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center.