There are over 113,000 men, women, and children on the national transplant waiting list, as of July 2019.  Twenty people die each day waiting for a transplant, and every 10 minutes another person is added to the waiting list.  95% of U.S. adults support organ donation, but only 58% are actually signed up as donors.  One person can donate up to eight lifesaving organs.  

Matthew Wright had a conversation with his parents about his wish to be an organ donor if the situation were ever to arise.  When his accident left him brain dead, his parents already knew his wishes.  Matthew saved four lives that day and gave two people the gift of sight.  One of the lives he saved was 9-year old Landyn Ozuna Valdez.  Please register to be an organ donor if you have not done so already.  Help give people like Landyn a second chance at life.

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“Hello Matthew. Thanks for your kidney, it is a pleasure to take care of it at all times.”

- Landyn

Landyn was born with Posterior Urethral Valve which was the condition that caused his urine to back up into his kidneys, causing their decreased function from birth.  His family knew that there would come a time when a transplant would be necessary.

Tanis, Landyn’s mom, was tested to see if she could be a donor, but had some kidney issues of her own, and was eliminated as a candidate.  Landyn’s kidney function started dropping quickly in the spring of 2018, and everyone was very concerned about what could potentially happen if a kidney was not found.  An eight-year-old cannot fully understand death, but his family definitely can, and they were plenty worried on his behalf.

On the day that the family received the call, the hospital tried to get in contact with Tanis, but she was at work with her phone turned off.  Time was of the essence, Landyn had to be in Portland within eight hours of the call, or he would not be able to receive the kidney that he so desperately needed.  Tanis finally received the message, called back, left work, grabbed their bags, and they drove to Portland immediately.  While they were waiting for the transplant to take place, the family found out that the donor was a young person from the Idaho’s Treasure Valley.

The entire family was ecstatic that Landyn was getting his much-needed kidney, but they were also heartbroken that a family had to lose someone that they loved for him to get it.  The feelings are the same to this very day.  Landyn had been through a lot of sickness, surgeries, and hospital stays.  Now with Matthew’s gift, his family hoped that they would lessen.

Landyn was on the waiting list for fourteen and a half months.
On March 2019, KTVB News in Boise aired a story about Landyn. (see video above)  That’s when Landyn's family knew that Matthew Wright was his donor.  The entire family made the decision that they wanted to meet Ann, and to give her the opportunity to meet Landyn.  That meeting took place at the Dash for Donation 5K walk in Boise.

“We chose this event so we could introduce ourselves to Ann, and hopefully not freak her out too much.  We’re so glad we did, because it has been such a moving relationship that has developed between our family and Matthew’s family.  We are so grateful that we have been able to personally thank the Wright family for their selfless act.  Landyn and all of us will be forever grateful.  I believe we all feel a very strong bond to the entire Wright family, and I hope we always will.  They are great people, and they hold a special place in our heart!”

- Shannon (Landyn's Grandmother)

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