Brooke’s Greatest Adventure was Giving the Gift of Life

When Patrick Hannigan and Brooke Edwards met as freshman at Whitman College, a friendship blossomed. The two immediately bonded over a shared love of the outdoors. From hiking to kayaking, skiing to mountaineering, their passions fueled their friendship and forged a deep connection between them.

“We both enjoyed being outside and would find any excuse we could to be outdoors,” said Patrick.

Many of their adventures involved a bit of struggle. Patrick joked that in some cases joy and struggle went hand-in-hand when they’d explore the outdoors together. Combating hypothermia or rugged mountainous terrain, their friendship grew as they overcame obstacles. Whether those hardships were physical or emotional, they were each other’s tether.

At the time, neither knew just how much of a tether each would become for one another–both giving life to the other in differing ways.

After college, the two friends stayed in touch through handwritten letters. Although life diverted them down two different paths, thousands of miles apart, the letters served as a lifeline. Brooke went on to serve in the PeaceCorps in Africa while Patrick worked in California and Colorado.

Brooke had no access to email, so the letters were her only form of communication.

“Those letters were vital for me,” said Brooke. Often isolated, Brooke said the simple script scrawled allayed her loneliness, and the letters were a bright light for her. She said they saved her.

After the PeaceCorps, Brooke’s career leading adventures into wild and wonderful places took flight. She guided ski tours and mountain expeditions across the globe.

“I made a career out of bringing people to wild spaces,” she said.

Through her adventures, she also found something she hadn’t expected–a sense of presence.

During her career as a mountain and ski guide, she helped people explore the great outdoors, but that beauty sometimes came at a cost. Brooke lost many friends and colleagues in the mountains in tragic accidents.

“The loss of so many friends throughout my life has really taught me how much gratitude to have in every moment,” Brooke said.

That sense of presence was what made Brooke’s decision an easy one when given the chance to save Patrick’s life through kidney donation.

In 2021, Patrick began to feel lethargic. He was perfectly healthy and active, but one day he noticed something wasn’t quite right. He was on a bike ride with his daughter when he noticed some unusual and alarming symptoms. He went to his doctor to figure out the root cause of the problem and that’s when his physician discovered his kidneys were failing.

At the time, Patrick didn’t understand the severity of his health condition.

“I didn't understand how important kidneys were,” he said. “My first question was if I was going to be okay in a couple of weeks? We were going on a trip to Colorado and they were like, ‘No, no, no. You don't understand. This is going to change your life.’"

Patrick started dialysis, which helped filter his blood. His kidneys weren’t functioning properly, and so dialysis was a bridge to better health.

“Dialysis is necessary to keep you alive, but it's also really hard on your body,” Patrick said. “I had very little energy. I didn't feel like I could think straight. Essentially, it feels like you're kind of living in a state of being poisoned.”

After a year on dialysis, Patrick had an unexpected boost in kidney function and was able to get off of dialysis, although he was still lethargic and felt as if he was wasting away. He was still in end-stage renal failure, and he needed a kidney transplant.

He did what many do in his situation; he researched transplant programs in Washington. Search results pointed him to Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH). The Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Transplant Center in Seattle is a leader in kidney and pancreas transplant procedures in the Puget Sound region. The Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Transplant Center in Seattle is the first center in the Pacific Northwest to earn designation as a Donor Care Network Center of Excellence by the National Kidney Registry (NKR).

Patrick met with the team at VMFH, and said he knew he found the right place for him.

“What makes me most passionate about the work that I do is coming in every day and trying to make patients' lives better,” said Andrew Weiss, MD, Medical Director of the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program at VMFH. “Chronic kidney disease is something that we deal with every day. It is very prevalent in the United States, affecting up to 1 in 7 adults.”

The VMFH team walked Patrick through the transplant process and explained two options: he could either receive a kidney from a living donor or wait for a kidney to become available from a deceased donor.

Patrick decided to put out an ask to his friends and family.

“It was scary and vulnerable,” he said. “I didn’t want to put anyone on the spot. It felt like I was asking so much of somebody.”

When he called Brooke, she answered before the question could leave his lips.

“I could hear the emotion in his voice,” she said. “I was like, ‘you don't have to ask. I am here for you. I'm ready to do this, and I want to do this, and it's nothing about you. You're not putting me in this position. I want to do this for you.’ When I’ve needed to lean on someone, or a shoulder to cry on, Patrick has always been there for me.”

Brooke said it was her turn to be there for Patrick.

Brooke wasn’t a match for Patrick, but she still wanted to give her kidney to someone in need, so she donated to a complete stranger.

“The advent of kidney pair donation has really changed the landscape of living kidney donation dramatically in the past 10 to 15 years,” said Dr. Weiss. “Previously, if someone couldn't find a blood type compatible kidney donor then things would just stop there. Kidney paired donation is really unique. The benefit of a large kidney paired exchange program is that if you have an incompatible donor and recipient pair, you can enter as a pair into an exchange program. This can increase your chance of finding a match.”

“I've lived such a full and beautiful and rich life,” said Brooke. “Giving a kidney was my greatest adventure."

Today, both Patrick and Brooke are back to adventuring. Patrick said he feels like a new person. For Brooke, her recovery was quick.

“I was ski guiding eight weeks after surgery,” she said. “I haven't noticed any change in my ability athletically to climb mountains and ski all over the world. I'm living this healthy, vibrant life that feels the exact same as before, except with more meaning.”

For Patrick, he said he can’t thank her enough. Because of Brooke, he can be the dad he wants to be–one who can raft with his daughter and enjoy the outdoors together with her. 

And that’s the greatest gift of all.