“Everyone is accessible, supportive, and there whenever I need them.”
In 1999, 18-year-old Rita Pessoa’s freshman year at Seton Hall University was derailed by extreme fatigue and illness. Initially dismissed as stress; tests revealed she was in kidney failure.
Within a year, she would need a transplant.
“I was only 18,” she says. “I was in school, starting a new chapter of my life, and suddenly everything shifted.”
Rita’s parents researched the best care, choosing the Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division Saint Barnabas Medical Center, now Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, for its strong reputation in transplant care.
“At that age, I was so sick that I couldn’t really process everything,” Rita shares. “My parents did all the research, and they chose Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center because they knew it was one of the leading transplant programs. That gave us confidence.”
As her condition worsened, Rita pushed through to finish her first year of college. But by the end of the spring semester, her symptoms became impossible to ignore.
“I remember being at school, and my legs were so swollen. I was dizzy, and I wasn’t eating. I just thought, ‘I don’t think I’m going to make it,’” she says. Shortly after, she was hospitalized and began dialysis.
The turning point came when Rita’s mother stepped forward as a living kidney donor. Despite having a blood disorder that complicated the process, the family worked closely with her care team to safely proceed with donation.
“I was worried about her, and she was worried about me,” Rita says. “But she was determined, and there were no complications.” Following a successful transplant surgery, Rita ‘s energy returned almost immediately. “It was like getting my life back,” she recalls.
Rita credits her care team at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center for supporting her every step of the way, from her transplant to the decades of follow-up care that followed. “They always made me feel like everything was going to be okay,” she says. “Everyone was accessible, supportive, and there whenever I needed them.”
While she had several doctors throughout her journey, Rita’s care team consisted of a dedicated group of specialists who guided her through every step of the transplant process, including Shamkant Mulgaonkar, MD, then Chief of the Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division, and transplant surgeon Stuart R. Geffner, MD, MS, MS-HCM, FACS, Chairman and Surgeon-in-Chief of the Department of Surgery at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center.
Today, she continues her care with Luigi Bonomini, MD, who she says remains just as responsive and supportive. “Anytime I call, he’s there. That kind of care means everything.”
Now more than two decades post-transplant, Rita reflects not on the challenges, but on everything she’s gained. “I try not to think too much about the ‘what ifs,’” she says. “I just take it one day at a time. Every day is a gift.”
That perspective has shaped how she lives her life. “I don’t take anything for granted,” Rita says. “Time is so precious. I just try to be present, to be happy, and to enjoy every moment.”
Because of her transplant, Rita has been able to build the life she once feared she might lose, graduating college, building a career, traveling, and starting a family. “I’m married to a great husband. I have an amazing son. I’ve been able to live a normal life,” she says. “That’s everything.”
Today, Rita works part-time, balancing her career with what matters most, her family. She spends summers down the shore, stays active with strength training, reading, traveling to new places, and proudly embraces her role as a hands-on mom.
“My life revolves around my son,” she says. “Being there for him, and staying healthy, that’s what matters most.
While Rita remains diligent about her health, staying consistent with medications and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, her outlook remains grounded in gratitude. “You never know what can happen,” she says. “So I just try to live fully, stay healthy, and appreciate every day.”
“If sharing my story can give someone hope,” Rita says, “then it’s all worth it.”
About The Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center.
The Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division, located in Livingston, NJ, is one of the leading kidney transplant centers in the country. The Transplant Division at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center offers compassionate and comprehensive transplant care for adult and pediatric kidney patients.
The Living Donor Institute at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center offers an increasing number of innovative living donation techniques available at only a few of the world’s leading transplant centers.
With a patient-centered approach, we aim to provide a caring environment with state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment capabilities. Our multidisciplinary transplant team guides patients through the process of deciding on kidney transplant as a treatment option, understanding transplantation, finding a donor, and maintaining a healthy organ after transplant.