Six lives, one powerful connection: Donors and recipients meet after kidney exchange
Dallas, Texas — Six lives are forever connected through a remarkable act of generosity and innovation at Medical City Dallas. In a heartwarming celebration of life, three kidney donors and three recipients who participated in a three-way paired kidney exchange in March 2025 met for the first time to celebrate the life-saving power of organ donation on Nov. 11.
After remaining anonymous throughout the process, all six participants chose to meet after completing the required six-month waiting period, allowing each person time to heal and decide if they wish to connect. Medical City Dallas physicians, hospital staff, donor and recipient families gathered for the emotional reunion, a powerful reminder of the impact of organ donation and the expertise of the hospital’s transplant team.
“Transplant surgery demands precise organ matching, technical skill and a team of expert staff for successful outcomes,” says David J. Cha, MD, one of four surgeons on the transplantation case which included Matthew Malloy, MD; Tiffany Anthony, MD; and Brian Ezekian, MD. “Celebrations like this remind us that our work is truly about connection and caring for our community. Three courageous families chose compassion, and because of that, three lives are changed forever. It’s an extraordinary thing to witness.”
According to Donate Life, more than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants, and nearly 90% of them need a kidney. Living donors provide hope for patients who might otherwise face years waiting for an organ from a deceased donor.
This rare and complex process began when Angela Arriaga, a supply chain technician supporting Medical City Heart Hospital and Medical City Spine Hospital, learned she was medically incompatible to donate a kidney to her husband Frankie Arriaga, a United States Navy Veteran.
Through the Medical City Dallas living kidney donor and paired-exchange programs, two additional compatible donor-recipient pairs were identified: husband and wife Jason and Alexandrina Bocanegra, and siblings David Rodriguez-Najera and Frances Montelongo.
The matched donations were as follows:
- Donor: Frances Montelongo – Recipient: Frankie Arriaga
- Donor: Angela Arriaga – Recipient: Alexandrina Bocanegra
- Donor: Jason Bocanegra: – Recipient: David Rodriguez-Najera
These compatible pairings enabled surgeons to complete three successful kidney transplants, giving each recipient a renewed chance at life and spending more time with loved ones.
“This remarkable accomplishment highlights the strength of our system of care and our commitment to excellence always,” says Jay deVenny, CEO of Medical City Dallas. “Through the generosity of living kidney donors and the skill of our world-class transplant teams, lives here are forever transformed. This is another reason Medical City Dallas is the destination of choice for transplant care.”