Local woman gets second chance at life thanks to her brother

RIRIE – A Ririe woman will receive a second chance at life after finding out her brother is a perfect match for a life-saving kidney donation.

Kierstin Murdock, 22, has been surviving tremendous health issues for her entire life. As a baby, she was diagnosed with Vater Syndrome, which caused her kidneys to form like horseshoes. One kidney had only 30% function and the other was the size of a grape, putting her life expectancy at no more than 12 years old.

“When I was born, they knew something was wrong but they didn’t know quite what was wrong,” says Murdock. “They figured out that I had Vater Syndrome, which means that I had a bad bowel and bladder, which then caused acute kidney failure.”

Murdock has had 49 surgeries over the course of her life to try and counteract the symptoms of her Vater syndrome, making her upcoming kidney transplant her 50th surgery.

Early this year, her kidney function began to decline even further, signaling to her doctors that it might finally be time to put her on the transplant list for a new kidney.

“[Murdock’s kidney] has kind of been on a downhill journey since she was born, but in the last few years it’s gotten worse and worse,” said Kierstin’s brother, Dakota Murdock. “Once they found out that [a kidney transplant] would probably have to happen this year, I started with the testing and stuff.”

After finding out that she needed a transplant, her family and friends jumped at the opportunity to be tested and see if they were potentially a match.

Not only did Kierstin’s family plan to get tested, but so did her boyfriend Logan Garcia and his three sisters.

“We knew that we probably wouldn’t be a perfect match for her, but we were obviously willing to make sure she could have every chance without having to sit there and wait on that list,” said Kaleigh Krieger, one of Logan’s sisters.

As luck would have it, the first person who was tested, her older brother Dakota, was a perfect match.

“When we found out that he was a match, I broke down and was bawling at work because I just couldn’t believe it,” said Murdock. “[Dakota] has always been there since day one. He’s the big brother figure who is always taking care of his siblings. It wasn’t very shocking that he wanted to do it, because that’s what Dakota does, he’s such a great guy. No matter what he’s gonna help out anybody.”

According to Dakota, the possibility of a kidney transplant has been something they’ve discussed for many years. The fact that it was finally possible meant that Dakota could help his sister out in the biggest way imaginable.

“Obviously there’s only so much you can do, but I would do anything I could to be able to make it a reality for her to be able to get a kidney and be able to live a less bothersome lifestyle,” said Dakota. “It’s always been that family came before anything else.”

Earlier this month, a silent auction was held in Heise to raise money for Kierstin’s upcoming kidney transplant, which will take place in early August at the University of Utah. Many businesses donated auction items and people from around eastern Idaho participated to make sure that Kierstin and Dakota are able to have a worry-free recovery.

“They had some people that came that weren’t even necessarily known to Kierstin that just saw that she was trying to raise money for a kidney transplant,” says Krieger.

The family has also set up a GoFundMe to help pay for their stay in Utah, and medical expenses while Kierstin and Dakota recover from surgery.

“She’s just a super sweet girl, she’s such a hard worker. That girl has been sick more times than I know and has felt like crap more than I know, and she works full-time. She still goes to work,” says Krieger. “She just powers through any day.”