Traci Lyn Prochaska ’11 donated kidney to mom Julie in 2023

Traci Lyn Prochaska ’11 had the unexpected opportunity to give her mom the gift of a lifetime in 2023: one of her kidneys. 

“It started back in May of 2022. I noticed that mom wasn’t her normal, perky self,” said Traci. She seemed exhausted all the time, and normal activities that were routine for her became extremely difficult. Her coloring was off. She looked pale and almost ash in color. I told her she needed to go see her doctor because something was clearly not right with her.” 

Traci’s mom Julie – who was born and raised in Seward - was first hospitalized June 14, 2022, an unforgettable day for many reasons. Traci was working long days in the fields at the family’s farm preparing for irrigating. As she headed to the hospital after 10 p.m. that day, she recalls seeing lightning in the west, but dismissed it because thunderstorms are coming in Nebraska.  

“We made it to her hospital room when we heard it: Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. It was extremely large hailstones hitting the roof of the hospital,” she said. “That night, we received severe damage worth several hundred thousand dollars. We had four foot tall corn that was hailed down to nothing.” 

The next day, the family learned that Julie’s kidney were not working. Surgery was not mentioned at that time. Many tests were run and appointments were scheduled and rescheduled.  

“When people ask me about the kidney donation I always say this: parents make a lot of sacrifices for their children when they are growing up. I was one of the lucky kids who actually got to return the favor to Mom.”

“We met with the nephrologist in August, and she scheduled a biopsy in September,” explained Traci.  
“The biopsy revealed her kidneys were full of scar tissue and the damage was irreversible, so mom would need a transplant. I received that phone call while running a tractor and grain cart during corn harvest. I was so upset that I had to park the tractor so I could sit and process what I wanted to do next. I soon called her nephrologist back and told her that I wanted to be a kidney donor and asked her what steps I needed to take to get tested to see if I match.” 

Traci and her brother Travis both did genetics tests to see if Julie’s kidney issues were hereditary. Tests showed the kidney problems were not hereditary, but that Travis was not a donor candidate due to a history of kidney stones. However, Traci’s test results looked promising, so additional tests were scheduled.  

“The next step for me was to spend an entire day at University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha getting tested for various things,” explained Traci. “There were so many tests scheduled for me that I had to arrive at the hospital at 6 a.m. and I didn’t get finished with the last test until 5:30 p.m. My testing day ended up being in January 2023. So I had a little bit of a waiting period before getting tested and cleared to become a donor. In the meantime, Mom had a dialysis port put in to her lower abdomen in November 2022. She began nightly in-home peritoneal dialysis treatments.” 

Traci was identified as a suitable donor, then Julie underwent two days of testing in March 2023. 

“It was then that I was confirmed to be Mom’s match—both tissue type and blood type. That was probably the happiest day in my entire life,” said Traci. “Learning that I would be the one to get Mom off of dialysis and back on track for a normal life again was the greatest feeling in the world. As soon as I got off the phone with the coordinator, I called and told Mom the news. First she cried, and then she immediately tried to talk me out of it, which any parent probably would. Her pleading did not work, though!” 

The surgery took place on November 30, 2023. Traci went into surgery one hour before Julie. The operating rooms were separated by a hallway.   
“The moment the kidney was taken out of me, it was immediately taken across the hallway and put into Mom,” said Traci.  

“I was extremely surprised when I finally saw her. Her coloring was back to normal. Her orneriness was back. You could just tell that my kidney was making a huge difference for her. It has almost been a year now since our surgeries and I literally do not feel any differently than I did before donation,” said Traci. “Donating a kidney to Mom has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I was with her for the entire journey—from the moment she was first diagnosed with end stage renal failure to our surgery date. I watched her health slowly but surely decline, but I’ve also watched her recover.”  

Traci has a degree in business administration from Concordia Nebraska. She chose to attend the university because her immediate family lives hear Seward, and she wanted to stay close to home. She said that her time at the university not only strengthened her faith, it also allowed her the opportunity to meet many life-long friends and enjoy positive interactions with numerous professors. 

“My professors helped me find my purpose by encouraging me in my strengths and strengthening my weaknesses. I learned that I can do anything I set my mind to. My business degree has really helped out on our four-generation family farm in making financial decisions and in the day-to-day operations. It helps us be efficient as we feed God’s people,” she said. “Concordia helped me develop my faith in many ways. I was surrounded by different people of different backgrounds and denominations, and it helped to broaden my horizons and to understand more out my own relationship with Jesus. I understand more about what I believe and why I believe it through having discussions with others from my own perspective, but especially from those with a little different perspective. I was able to strengthen my own relationship with Christ, with the understanding that my faith is my own—given by the Holy Spirit.”  

One of her friends from her time at Concordia Nebraska played a pivotal role during the Prochaska family’s transplant process. 

“I met my best friend Jamie sophomore year at Concordia. We talk every day, and she was my caretaker while I was in the hospital and for the several weeks after,” said Traci. “I have to give her a lot of credit. She is basically the sister I never had, and Mom sometimes jokes that she’s one of her kids too. I honestly don’t know how she handled sitting in the waiting room while both Mom and I were in surgery. It just goes to show that she had a lot of faith, because I think the average person would have had a breakdown having two people who are basically family members in surgery at the same time. “  

A strong focus on family is very evident with the Prochaska family. 

“When people ask me about the kidney donation I always say this: parents make a lot of sacrifices for their children when they are growing up. I was one of the lucky kids who actually got to return the favor to Mom,” said Traci. “And having the opportunity to work some of the same ground that my great-grandfather once did is truly amazing to me. Often times, family farms get sold, but that isn’t the case here. Some of our land has been in our family for almost 100 years, and watching the fields turn green and eventually back to brown for harvest is a huge sense of accomplishment for me. We take pride in our fields, and it often shows. I like to call it our “Prochaska Pride.” Everything from our fields to our machinery to our farmstead is very well kept up. It’s a constant work in progress—something is always being worked on and improved.” 

Julie and her husband Ron recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. She is enjoying renewed health and current works as a secretary at Rediger Automotive in Milford, Nebraska.  

“My recovery seemed slow, especially when I saw Traci recovering from her donation surgery so well,” said Julie. “I was extremely sore for weeks, so I had to take everything extra slow. I’m really glad Traci was recovering with me, because I needed her help with cooking while I was still trying to take it easy. She handled it no problem. She’s like superwoman. As a mother you are used to caring for your children and trying to make all of their hurt, injuries and medical problems go away. You are not prepared to have your own child save you. I’m not sure there are words to honestly describe it. I’m thankful. I’m overjoyed. Watching my dialysis machine be packed up and returned was one of the happiest days of my life. I’m forever grateful for her gift to me!” 

Concordia University, Nebraska offers a matchless campus community designed to help students fulfill a higher purpose in their vocations and life. Students are surrounded by peers, professors and a community that will not only help them discover who they are and what they want to be, but also how they can make a bigger impact than they ever imagined.