Milwaukee City Wire

On July 10, UWM staff member Tom Bjornstad received a kidney from his coworker, Bobbi Zeise. This event marked a significant turn in Bjornstad's life after more than eight years on dialysis due to kidney failure.

Bjornstad, aged 55, faced daily challenges due to his condition. He spent over four hours each day connected to a machine and experienced constant fatigue, dietary restrictions, and frequent shivering. Despite these difficulties, he continued working at UWM’s University Advancement alongside the UWM Foundation staff, including Zeise from the accounting department.

Bjornstad had been on the transplant list for several years without success. His wife Kelly shared their struggles on Facebook on April 14, appealing for potential live kidney donors among friends and family. The odds of finding a match outside the family were slim—approximately 1 in 100—but she hoped others might be inspired to help.

Zeise saw Kelly's post and decided to undergo testing to determine if she could be a donor. “I thought for sure we wouldn’t be a match but that we could do a paired donation where I’d match someone else in need,” Zeise explained. However, after months of testing, they discovered on June 7 that she was indeed a direct match for Bjornstad.

The surgeries took place on July 10 with Kelly anxiously waiting as her husband underwent the procedure along with Zeise. The transplant was successful, and Bjornstad soon felt significantly better than he had in years. “As soon as I woke up, I could feel something was different,” he said. “I could feel Bobbi literally giving me back my life.”

Both Bjornstad and Zeise have returned to work and are now living healthy lives. Zeise is committed to raising awareness about living organ donation and its impact: “My only regret about the whole thing is that it couldn’t happen sooner.”

Kelly expressed her gratitude towards Zeise on Facebook after the surgery: “There truly are no words to express my infinite gratitude for Bobbi Zeise... She has changed the path of our family’s lives forever.” She emphasized how this act gave not only hope but life back to their entire family.