U.S. Renal Care unveiled a seven-minute film this week documenting how a patient journey at the healthcare center unfolds — from dialysis to recovery.

The subject of the film is John Monts, a patient who received a kidney transplant at the center. The video opens with Monts describing his love of fishing — and how his hobby went on pause when he had to go on dialysis treatment due to a kidney condition.

During his time at U.S. Renal Care, Monts began looking into his options for a long-term solution, to which his care team identified a living kidney donation as a possibility. His siblings were tested to see if they would be matches but found they weren’t. However, Monts’ niece Amber discovered she was able to donate a kidney.

“Knowing that I could offer support, give life to someone, especially someone who’s very close to me, that was everything for me,” Monts’ niece, Amber, adds in the video. “That part of him that we thought was gone — it’s made a vibrant return.”

Monts said in the video that June 30 “changed” his life, referring to the date of his transplant. 

“It’s almost like now I have two birthdays. After my 12 weeks of recovery after my transplant, one of the things I couldn’t wait to do was to revisit [U.S. Renal Care] to let them know how appreciative I was for all of them there,” he said.

Thao Pascual, associate chief medical officer at U.S. Renal Care, noted in a statement that at the center, “we understand how powerful early kidney care options education can be,” and that in Monts’ case, it was “life-changing.”

U.S. Renal Care focuses on dialysis for people with chronic and acute renal disease, with locations across 32 states.

The video is a powerful look into the personal aspects behind a kidney transplant – from building close relationships with the care team to relying on family for the actual donation itself.

“The team over at U.S. Renal Care was a phenomenal team,” Monts said in the video. “We became a close-knit, almost family there. It was more than just a job to them. It was like their mission to get me better. Now, I can do all the things I want to do — exercising, going to the grocery store. My fiance and I — we can walk around together again, we can travel together again. Just normal living now.”