Chubbuck woman gets kidney transplant after waiting years

CHUBBUCK, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - In the midst of a pandemic, one Chubbuck woman got the best news of her life.

On March 21, Rindee Larson got a kidney transplant after waiting four and a half years.

“The possibilities are endless now," Larson said.

Larson spoke to Local News 8 in July. She said she'd been dealing with kidney problems since she was a teenager. She had her first kidney transplant when she was 16.

Her body rejected the first transplant. Only 7% of kidneys in the world could match her.

“It was like winning the lottery finding this kidney because it matches me so well. It’s already functioning way better than the kidney I had before," Larson said.

“It’s going to be super freeing," she said.

Although, the coronavirus puts a small roadblock in her way.

“It is kind of scary right now because I am so immune suppressed," she said.

Larson and her mother are staying isolated in a hotel for a few weeks while she attends her followup doctor appointments.

“Once all this virus crap hopefully blows over, then I’ll get to go travel,” Larson said.

She's been enjoying drinking fluids and eating potato chips again, but she's really excited to jump back in the water.

“I love the water and I haven’t been able to be fully submerged in water in four years," she said.

Larson graduates university in May.

An estimated 37 million Americans are affected by kidney disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To find out if you’re a match for someone in need of a kidney, the University of Utah offers a questionnaire.

Sign up to be an organ donor here.