Frankfort organ donor advocates for better workplace protections

A report card from the American Kidney Fund, a national nonprofit that provides aid to transplant recipients and donors, ranks Kentucky as a "C" grade when evaluating state laws that protect living kidney donors.

FRANKFORT, Ky (WTVQ)- One central Kentucky woman is advocating for more workplace protections for living organ donors in the state, after she says her experience turned into a complicated few months.

Beth Burbridge is a wife and mom of three children. In 2019, she had a few minutes to sit down and scroll social media before work. That’s when a neighbor’s post grabbed her attention.

“Their son was dying from a rare genetic disease,” Burbridge said.

Burbridge wanted to help. She got tested, and ended up being a match. She revealed the news to the boy’s parents. Once the donation happened, however, that’s when the difficulties started.

“Unfortunately for my company, they considered the surgery elective. So I donated my kidney on a Tuesday, and I returned to work the following Monday, six days later,” Burbridge said.

The estimated time for recovery after a kidney donation can take up to four to six weeks.

“The other side of that is for us, we’re a dual income household. So taking the time unpaid wasn’t an option for me either,” Burbridge said.

She also faced challenges with her insurance.

A report card from the American Kidney Fund, a national nonprofit that provides aid to transplant recipients and donors, ranks Kentucky as a “C” grade when evaluating state laws that protect living kidney donors.

“That’s why it’s so important to remove barriers for living organ donors. Nobody should have to go through the circumstances, the situation that I went through. You should be able to save a life without having to worry about possibly losing your job, or long-term, losing your life disability and long-term care insurance,” Burbridge said.

Since 2019, Burbridge has advocated for several bills in legislatures, two of which have passed in the state of Kentucky.
In 2022, house bill 47 would have given tax credits for employers that provided employees with a separate paid leave for organ donation and bone marrow donation. That bill wasn’t heard this session.

Burbridge is nearing the three year anniversary of her gift of life. She’s says she’s not finished advocating for more bills.

“The entire focus is trying to get Kentucky folks off the transplant wait list. Having these bills passed is gonna make such a big difference for those families that are waiting. It would be such an incredible joy to know that anybody that wants to donate an organ is able to do so without having to worry about anything,” said Burbridge.