For Mary Wu, introducing herself begins with three simple letters: ABC (American-born Chinese). Her parents came to the U.S. from China and Taiwan in the early 1970s, determined to build a future from scratch.
This journey became harder when, at just 3 years old, Mary was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease. She endured countless hospital visits and dialysis before receiving her first kidney transplant at age 5, thanks to a donor named Brian. “That’s when life began for me,” she recalls.
But life wasn’t without detours. At 11, facing her parents’ separation and struggling to fit in, Mary learned her kidney was failing once again. In 1995, she received her second transplant – this time from a 4-year-old donor whose family chose to give the gift of life in the midst of tragedy.
That kidney has carried her through adolescence and adulthood – 30 healthy years and counting. With gratitude fueling her every step, Mary has devoted her life to helping others. She works at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for pediatric and rare cancer patients to receive the necessary financial and insurance coverage for medical services, and she passionately advocates for organ donation with Donate Life NYS.
This past summer, she honored her donor by competing for the first time in the World Transplant Games in Germany in swimming the 50-meter backstroke.
“Life is the greatest gift,” Mary says. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of my donors and the families who gave me this second chance. I am forever grateful.”
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