ATKINSON COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — A South Georgia man is on his way to recovery after a months-long search for a living kidney donor ended with an unexpected gift from a family member.

In April, Gavan Tanner’s family told WALB he had been diagnosed with kidney failure and was doing dialysis treatments at home while he waited for a donor.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: South Georgia family pleads for kidney donor as son fights through home dialysis

Now, he’s recovering from what he said was a smooth kidney transplant surgery on Aug. 13, made possible by his cousin Carly.

The path to recovery

Tanner said he did not know his cousin was a match or that she was being tested to donate her kidney until she told him.

“It was a little emotional,” Tanner said, noting the discovery brought him to tears.

Tanner explained that the path to the transplant was “kind of rough.” He said he had no energy while on dialysis, when he received treatments three times a week.

After the transplant and a three-day hospital stay, Tanner said the first month was difficult and he could barely walk. Now he said he can move around the house and do things he could not do before.

“It’s blessed because I haven’t been able to do that in a while without getting tired or sick,” Tanner said.

Tanner said he has weekly appointments for blood draws. If test results stay good, as they have so far, he said he will have monthly checkups for the rest of his life.

Message for others waiting on a transplant

Tanner said his faith was most important during the process.

“He just reminded me, kept me sane, kept me grounded to life,” Tanner said.

He encourages others who need an organ transplant to reach out to people.

“Just try to put one foot in front of the other,” Tanner said. “There’s people out there that are willing to donate. You just got to reach out.”

Understanding Alport Syndrome

Tanner said he was not shocked when he learned he needed a kidney. He said he has known since he was young that he would need one because of Alport syndrome.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, Alport syndrome is an inherited genetic disease that damages the glomeruli, the tiny filtering units in the kidneys. It can lead to kidney disease and kidney failure. It can also cause hearing loss and eye problems.

The disease is caused by changes in genes for collagen, a protein important to the structure and function of the kidneys, eyes and ears.

Signs and symptoms can include:

• Blood in the urine, the most common and earliest sign
• Protein in the urine
• High blood pressure
• Swelling in the legs, ankles, feet and around the eyes

Signs and symptoms can differ based on age, gender, and inherited type of the disease.

Organ donations continue to grow

Kidney transplants are considered the best treatment option for those on the brink of kidney failure due to Alport syndrome.

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), more than 49,000 organ transplants were performed nationwide in 2025. The number has grown each year, with the exception of 2020.

Living donations are also on the rise, with more than 7,000 people becoming living donors last year.

You can find more information about living kidney donations by visiting Donate Life America.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X. For more south Georgia news, download the WALB News app and add WALB as a preferred source on Google.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.