Maggie Jacobs created Agent Kidney out of her and her husband Scott’s lived experience navigating kidney disease, transplant, and living donation.
From their story in Scott & Maggie’s Kidney Story:
Scott’s journey began with chronic kidney disease that gradually stole his strength and freedom. When he learned that waiting on the deceased donor list could take years, they turned to the idea of living donation — a faster and often more successful path to transplant (as supported by the National Kidney Foundation’s guidance on living donor benefits).
Maggie led the outreach. She and Scott shared their story openly — not as a direct ask for a kidney, but as an invitation for others to help spread the word. This approach worked: within six months, a living donor stepped forward. The transplant at Sutter Health CPMC Van Ness was successful, and Scott’s new kidney began working immediately.
Four months later, moved by what she witnessed, Maggie donated one of her own kidneys as an undirected (altruistic) donor, helping a stranger through a paired exchange program. Her donation honored the gift Scott had received and extended that same hope to another family.
Together, they realized that outreach, empathy, and persistence are the keys to finding a living donor — and that too many families face this process alone or without clear guidance.
That insight inspired Agent Kidney, the tool Maggie designed to guide others through every emotional and practical step — from diagnosis to finding a donor to recovery. She built it to combine warmth, structure, and action, using what they learned firsthand:
“It’s not about asking one person directly for a kidney. It’s about sharing your story in hopes of inspiring action in others.”