UCH Celebrates 1,000th Living Organ Transplant

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- The University of Colorado Hospital celebrated a milestone in living organ transplants this month.

The transplant center at UCH performed its 1,000th transplant from living donors last week.

Jennifer Bircher donated her kidney to her sister-in-law Tammy Sugg. Sugg has lived with diabetes for 46 years and recently went on dialysis.

When Sugg learned her husband would not be able to donate his kidney, Bircher stepped in.

Sugg described the emotional moment when she found out, "My son was up in his bedroom, home for lunch from high school, and I immediately went upstairs and told him and you know, I have a teenager, they don't always hug their mom, my teenager hugged me in a way that he has never hugged me before."

Both patients are recovering one week after the surgery.

Bircher urges anyone who is thinking about donating an organ to find out more to help someone in need.