Integrated Care Across Our System: Matt’s Story
California Pacific Medical Center
2026Contributors: Edward Brooks, Steven Katznelson
[SOFT ACOUSTIC MUSIC]
MATTHEW LEE: Come on, Micah.
We're going to go school today.
My name is Matthew Lee.
I am 39 years old.
I am married.
I am a father of two, one who is almost three.
My other one is about six months old.
You're so big, Bubba.
When I first learned that I had kidney disease,
it came as a shocker to me.
I did have diabetes, but I ate balanced meals.
I was taking care of myself, making sure I'm
on my medication regimen.
But I had noticed swelling in both my legs.
It didn't go away.
And soon my wife was like, you should probably
get that checked out.
And so I went to a nurse practitioner.
She said, I want to run some tests with you.
My family had plans for the weekend.
We had all these things.
And all of a sudden it's like, boom, you have kidney failure.
You're not going anywhere till we figure things out.
It was end-stage renal disease, and so I needed
to be on dialysis right away.
The first thing that came to my mind
was, how was my family going to be taken care of?
We had just learned that Erica was
pregnant with our second son.
My mind was spiraling with the worst case scenario.
ERICA DANG: I started seeing a life with Matt
not there watching the boys grow up
or missing out on their milestones.
MATTHEW LEE: Everyone at Sutter Health
was so helpful during those really scary first days,
answering all my questions.
I went to see my primary care physician, Dr. Brooks.
EDWARD BROOKS: I do recall feeling quite
devastated to hear this news.
Education was pretty critical to help
fear and concern and anxiety.
The doctors and other providers within Sutter worked seamlessly.
MATTHEW LEE: My health care team grew.
I had a cardiologist.
I had a nephrologist.
I had an endocrinologist.
I was visiting doctors left and right.
STEVEN KATZNELSON: We truly had all hands on deck
from multiple teams working together to make one health care
team to get Matt healthy again.
Right now, there are about 90,000 people waiting for kidney
transplants in the United States.
In California, that wait could be 10 years.
So the importance of finding your way towards a transplant
quickly through live donation can't be overstated.
Given who Matt is, not surprisingly,
more than one person wanted to help him
by becoming a living kidney donor.
His cousin-in-law, Tiffany, who lives in Texas,
couldn't wait to help Matt.
MATTHEW LEE: So we made sure that I was healthy enough.
We had a bunch of tests.
They saw some weak points in my heart,
and they put some stents in.
STEVEN KATZNELSON: That heart procedure
is a great example of how a health care system like Sutter
works seamlessly to the benefit of our patient.
On transplant day, I spent some time in the morning with Matt.
He was extremely calm, couldn't wait to get back to life,
to be there for his wife, and to be there for his young kids.
MATTHEW LEE: I definitely felt a lot
of compassion and being seen as a person as opposed
to a patient.
It means the world to me.
And I'm living proof that you guys at Sutter Health
are doing a great job.
ERICA DANG: At Sutter Health.
Lives can be transformed, and communities are changed.
[UPLIFTING MUSIC]
MATTHEW LEE: Come on, Micah.
We're going to go school today.
My name is Matthew Lee.
I am 39 years old.
I am married.
I am a father of two, one who is almost three.
My other one is about six months old.
You're so big, Bubba.
When I first learned that I had kidney disease,
it came as a shocker to me.
I did have diabetes, but I ate balanced meals.
I was taking care of myself, making sure I'm
on my medication regimen.
But I had noticed swelling in both my legs.
It didn't go away.
And soon my wife was like, you should probably
get that checked out.
And so I went to a nurse practitioner.
She said, I want to run some tests with you.
My family had plans for the weekend.
We had all these things.
And all of a sudden it's like, boom, you have kidney failure.
You're not going anywhere till we figure things out.
It was end-stage renal disease, and so I needed
to be on dialysis right away.
The first thing that came to my mind
was, how was my family going to be taken care of?
We had just learned that Erica was
pregnant with our second son.
My mind was spiraling with the worst case scenario.
ERICA DANG: I started seeing a life with Matt
not there watching the boys grow up
or missing out on their milestones.
MATTHEW LEE: Everyone at Sutter Health
was so helpful during those really scary first days,
answering all my questions.
I went to see my primary care physician, Dr. Brooks.
EDWARD BROOKS: I do recall feeling quite
devastated to hear this news.
Education was pretty critical to help
fear and concern and anxiety.
The doctors and other providers within Sutter worked seamlessly.
MATTHEW LEE: My health care team grew.
I had a cardiologist.
I had a nephrologist.
I had an endocrinologist.
I was visiting doctors left and right.
STEVEN KATZNELSON: We truly had all hands on deck
from multiple teams working together to make one health care
team to get Matt healthy again.
Right now, there are about 90,000 people waiting for kidney
transplants in the United States.
In California, that wait could be 10 years.
So the importance of finding your way towards a transplant
quickly through live donation can't be overstated.
Given who Matt is, not surprisingly,
more than one person wanted to help him
by becoming a living kidney donor.
His cousin-in-law, Tiffany, who lives in Texas,
couldn't wait to help Matt.
MATTHEW LEE: So we made sure that I was healthy enough.
We had a bunch of tests.
They saw some weak points in my heart,
and they put some stents in.
STEVEN KATZNELSON: That heart procedure
is a great example of how a health care system like Sutter
works seamlessly to the benefit of our patient.
On transplant day, I spent some time in the morning with Matt.
He was extremely calm, couldn't wait to get back to life,
to be there for his wife, and to be there for his young kids.
MATTHEW LEE: I definitely felt a lot
of compassion and being seen as a person as opposed
to a patient.
It means the world to me.
And I'm living proof that you guys at Sutter Health
are doing a great job.
ERICA DANG: At Sutter Health.
Lives can be transformed, and communities are changed.
[UPLIFTING MUSIC]
Matthew Lee and his family are grateful for the seamless, integrated care he received at Sutter throughout his journey to receiving a kidney transplant at CPMC. His primary care, nephrology, cardiology and endocrinology doctors worked together to provide compassionate, patient-focused care from day 1.
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