A Journey of Immigration, Social Justice Advocacy, and the Incredible Survival of a Young Woman Requiring a Double Kidney Transplant - Kyla Aquino Irving

This week on the KORE Women podcast, Dr. Summer Watson gets the opportunity to speak with Kyla Aquino Irving. Kyla was born in the Philippines, raised in Northern California, she is a social justice advocate, and was double kidney transplant recipient. 

Kyla is a communications manager for a major nonprofit in the Greater Sacramento region and is on a mission to see an end to the organ donor waiting list.

Kyla’s family escaped direct threats from a dictator to immigrate to the U.S. when she was 2 years old. Coming from a family that stands for ‘People Power’ over tyranny, advocating for social justice came naturally. 

At only 15 years old, her kidney function had deteriorated overnight and was on dialysis for six months. Fortunately, testing revealed that her father was a compatible match and he was able to donate a kidney to her when she was 16. 

As a high school senior, Kyla became an advocate for organ donation. She wrote a book about her kidney disease journey, and “Kyla’s Kidney Adventure” was published through the National Kidney Foundation. 

Aquino graduated cum laude from California State University, Sacramento in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing. While attending college, she completed public affairs internships with Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi and the Community Engagement Center at Sacramento State and studied theatre abroad for a semester in London, England.

Several years later, when she was in need of another transplant, her mother proved to be a match and was able to donate a kidney to Kyla on August 16, 2001. Kyla became a mother in 2017 thanks to her mother’s kidney donation.

If you would like to connect with Kyla, you can follow her on Facebook and Instagram @discovermabuhay.

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