August 28, 2024
Some college students dread taking a full course load. Not Marilyn Preisner.
Less than three months after a lifesaving kidney transplant, the 27-year-old is enrolled full-time this fall at Grand Rapids Community College — and she couldn’t be happier.
“I’ve been waiting so long for this moment and now there are just so many good things I can look forward to: getting my degree, getting married, and moving out and buying a house,” she said.
Colin Preisner, her younger brother and fellow GRCC student, donated his left kidney to her on June 6 at Trinity Health Grand Rapids Hospital. Though the siblings aren’t related by blood — they were adopted separately as babies in Guatemala — they were a transplant match.
“I think it was kind of a godly thing given that my mom adopted us separately and Colin ended up being a perfect match,” Preisner said. “It’s still kind of hard to wrap my head around.”
The Rockford woman was diagnosed at the age of 19 with IgA nephropathy, a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the kidneys. Around 1 in 5 people with the disease develop kidney failure within 10 years of diagnosis, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Despite various treatments, Preisner was in end-stage renal failure before her 25th birthday.
She began daily, at-home dialysis treatments three years ago to filter wastes and excess fluid from her blood — the job your kidneys are supposed to handle. A year later she was placed on the transplant waiting list.
Preisner worked from home as a call center representative, starting in 2019 at GRCC taking one or two classes each semester in hopes of one day becoming a dental hygienist.
“Online classes were easier; it was really tough doing those in-person classes sometimes because I was struggling so much with nausea and pain,” she said. “But every single GRCC professor has been amazing. The only reason I’ve been able to continue plugging away slowly like this is because the school has just been great.”
Preisner searched for a kidney donor, never imagining she’d find one living down the hall in her mom’s house. They discovered in February that Colin, now 24, is a direct match. He told her the lifesaving news in his typically nonchalant way.
“He’s a very chill guy,” she said. “So, the way he told me and our family was a text in our group chat saying: ‘I’m approved.’ I asked what he meant by ‘approved’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna give you my kidney.’”
Both surgeries went extremely well and the recovery has been easier than expected for the siblings. Marilyn Preisner returned to GRCC on Monday; her brother is taking the fall semester off.
Marilyn Preisner has changed her major to Web/UX Design and Development, saying it’s a better fit for her. She’s taking four courses this fall and hopes to graduate with an associate degree by May 2026.
She says her journey wouldn’t have been possible without the support of her mother, Toni, her adoptive sister, Kelsi, and her fiancé, Lucas Achenbach. And, of course, her brother, Colin.
“I honestly can’t put into words how grateful I am to my brother,” she said. “Life is finally starting back up again and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come in the future.”
This story was reported by Beth McKenna.