Kate Bowen has spent 20 years saving lives as an EMT. Now she’s making a public plea for a lifesaving measure she needs – a new kidney.
“I’ve been diabetic since I was 12 and have had Type 1 diabetes and high blood pressure since my mid-20s,” she relayed. “Both of those things tend to lead to kidney issues down the line.”
Diabetes numbers are staggering; It isn’t just a disease, it’s an epidemic, affecting more than 38 million Americans with devastating consequences, according to the American Diabetes Association. Some 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed each year, 11.6% had diabetes in 2023 and 97.6 million adults are living with pre-diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes – formerly known as juvenile diabetes – is an autoimmune disease where the pancreas fails to produce insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels. In December 2024, Bowen started feeling physically fatigued, prompting a hospital visit by February.
“At first, I had just thought I had a cold or something like that …” she recalled. “I was super rundown … my body hurt.”
After months of feeling the same, Bowen knew something more was wrong. And after a number of tests, she was diagnosed with kidney failure and anemia.
“I’m in the end stage of renal disease, which means that I will need a kidney transplant to survive because I’m diabetic,” Bowen acknowledged.
At 37, and with a 12-year-old daughter, it’s a devastating diagnosis. Bowen doesn’t have much time before she has to begin dialysis.
“I want to see my daughter (Shay) grow up … I still have a lot of parenting to do,” Bowen said, adding her daughter is her “favorite person in the world.”
“I spend most of my free time with her,” she added, “going to the movies and to dinner … and letting her teach me how to play Roblox.”
Bowen is on a list for a kidney and a pancreas transplant. A pancreas has to come from a deceased donor, but a kidney can also come from a live donor.
“Kidneys from live donors tend to last longer, so my hope is that I can find a live donor for the kidney,” she added, a process that will be faster. The estimated wait time on a kidney list is two to three years based on her O negative blood type, but if she finds her own donor, she could be transplanted within months.
“Then I would just wait for the pancreas,” she said, emphasizing that the dire need right now is a kidney.
Even if Bowen finds someone who doesn’t match her blood type but is willing to donate a kidney, it can help her cause.
“It’s called a paired exchange,” she explained, “where I would essentially get a voucher like credit for them donating and it would move me up on the list.”
Her hometown has rallied for Bowen, a Washington Township High School graduate. In her two decades as an EMT, she spent 14 years with the Barrington Ambulance Association. Since 2019, she’s been a chief overseeing several municipalities in South Jersey.
“I manage a staff of 25 employees and am responsible for overseeing the emergency medical services that are provided to approximately 25,000 residents,” she pointed out. “… I know that I have more to do in my career.
“I have more parenting to do and more life left to live.”
For those willing to get tested, Bowen has a microsite at nkr.org/gyn469 that can also be shared on social media.
