By Kyra Newman  

Kelsey Bracewell has always been drawn to the outdoors. Whether kayaking down a roaring river, hiking remote trails or running ultra-marathons, adventure has been woven into the fabric of her life. But beneath the surface of her active, seemingly limitless pursuits, she didn’t know a silent battle was unfolding – one she inherited through generations of her family. 

Polycystic kidney disease was an unwelcomed heirloom passed down from her mother, her grandmother and the women before them. When she was 17, severe abdominal pain revealed the truth: Her kidneys were riddled with cysts, slowly losing their ability to function properly. 

Despite the diagnosis, Bracewell refused to let it change her life. She went off to college in the mountains of North Carolina, where she majored in wilderness leadership and psychology. She paddled, climbed and hiked, even when her family urged caution. She understood the risks, but she also knew she needed those adventures in her life.  

“I could trip over a curb on the street and hurt my kidney,” she said. “It could happen anywhere.” 

Then, while working after college, Bracewell felt a sudden excruciating pain, as if a shark had taken a bite out of her side. She found herself in the hospital, needing blood transfusions and extensive recovery after a ruptured kidney. The reality of her disease hit harder, but after a few months at home, she went on to earn her master’s degree, studying recreation and sport science. 

After finishing graduate school in 2011, she landed a job with the Fredericksburg-based American Canoe Association, an organization which shares the love of paddling adventures all over the world. She also realized that her compromised kidney function was holding her back. She needed a kidney transplant if she wanted to maintain her outdoorsy lifestyle. 

Kelsey Bracewell knew that if she wanted to continue her active lifestyle, that she would need a kidney transplant. So she sought expertise from VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center. (Caroline Ward, VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center)

For Kelsey, the best hope for a long, healthy future was a kidney from a living donor. Unlike deceased donor kidneys, which could take years on a waiting list to receive, a living donor kidney could be transplanted much sooner. Living donor kidneys also tended to last longer and work better right away, giving her the best chance at maintaining the active, adventure-filled life she loved. It wasn’t just about survival; it was about living fully, without the constant shadow of uncertainty. 

Ten potential donors within a small circle of confidants volunteered to be tested, and the best match was Sarah, a friend whom she had met at a Christmas party years earlier.  

On June 30, 2017, the transplant surgery took place at VCU Health’s Hume-Lee Transplant Center. Dhiren Kumar, M.D., medical director of living donor kidney transplant, led the procedure, with Adrian Cotterell, M.D., performing the surgery. Unlike most transplants where diseased kidneys remain in place, Kelsey’s native kidneys were so enlarged that they had to be removed months later to give her lungs and other organs more space to breathe. 

Bracewell approached her recovery with the same gritty determination she had demonstrated her entire life. A month after surgery, she and her roommate, Meghan, launched “Fitness Month,” walking half a mile every day, inching toward normalcy. By the end of the month, they celebrated with cupcake pancakes at IHOP. 

And then she kept going. 

Running became her next adventure. What started as short, careful jogs turned into races. Then, into marathons. Then, into ultra-marathons. Just last year, Bracewell ran a grueling 100-kilometer race in Virginia, pushing herself through 62 miles of pain, exhaustion, and triumph. Before that, she traveled solo to Iceland to complete a 55K trail race through rivers, snowfields, and volcanic terrain. Every step, every finish line, was a testament to her resilience. 

I don’t want to waste this second chance. I don’t want to dishonor Sarah’s gift, so I live each day to the fullest.

Kelsey Bracewell, VCU Health patient and kidney transplant recipient 

But perhaps the most meaningful race came last summer at the Transplant Games of America. She walked onto the track with a half-dozen other individuals who had undergone different transplants, each filling a different lane. Over those days in Birmingham, Kelsey ran, swam, and treasured each moment. Even her mother, once reserved about Kelsey’s adventurous spirit and now a transplant patient herself, completed her first 5K race. 

Kelsey continues to push boundaries and prove that a transplant is a gateway to new possibilities.  
“I don’t want to waste this second chance,” she said. “And I don’t want to dishonor Sarah’s gift, so I live each day to the fullest.” 

Transplant coordinator Cindy Clark worked with Kelsey after her transplant to help her regain her active lifestyle.  

“My goal was to make sure she understood that she would be able to go back and do those things again,” Clark said. “I wanted to provide the information and guidance to help her achieve that.” 

Part of the job also means addressing patient concerns and debunking post-transplant myths, many of which Kelsey carried with her.  

“There are a lot of misconceptions about what transplant patients can and can’t do,” Clark said. “I always ask my patients about their hobbies and interests because that helps me understand how to best support them.” 

During those early post-transplant conversations, Kelsey was apprehensive about post-transplant life and getting back into outdoor adventures. Together, they planned key milestones over that first year, including staying closer to home in the early months and making informed decisions, such as avoiding water sources on paddle trips to reduce infection risks from exposure to potential bacteria. 

“Kelsey is an inspiration,” Clark added. “Her story shows other patients that it’s possible to get back to doing the things you love after a transplant.” 

(Left to right) Randi Thompson, MSN, AGPCNP, transplant nephrology nurse practitioner, with VCU Health patient Kelsey Bracewell and Dhiren Kumar, M.D., co-medical director of kidney and pancreas transplantation at VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center. (Caroline Ward, VCU Hume-Lee Transplant Center)

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