Graduate Grateful For Kidney Transplant

Guadalupe Gonzalez is ready to move past the tears because she has a lot to smile about.

A new graduate of Kaplan College with a degree as a medical office specialist, Guadalupe’s future wasn’t too bright about a year ago.

“I would tell my kids, my husband and my family that I loved them every night just to make sure that if I didn’t see them the next day, they knew I loved them,” she told ABC-7.

A mother of two, Guadalupe has end stage renal kidney disease. After 3 1/2 years of dialysis, she finally got a transplant.

She said she was reborn on that operating table.

“I told myself that from that day on, I was going to live my life differently and I was going to make a big difference in the world,” she said.

So at the age of 43, Guadalupe decided to go back to school to help others in need.

“I want to help them understand that they’re not alone out there and that this disease, you can beat it.”

Guadalupe already has a job with one of the doctors who helped save her life.

“I thank him every day for giving me a second chance,” she said.

A second chance, a new degree and a new life.