--- title: "Integrated Care Across Our System: Matt’s Story | Sutter Health" description: "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." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/integrated-care-across-our-system-matts-story-2050673193" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Patient Stories](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) / 3. Integrated Care Across Our System: Matt’s Story # Integrated Care Across Our System: Matt’s Story California Pacific Medical Center * * * 2026 Contributors: [Edward Brooks](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-edward-m-brooks-1046247117), [Steven Katznelson](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-steven-katznelson-1046243630) 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. ## Discover similar stories Choose a service topic below to read more stories like this one. [Kidney transplant services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories?verticalKey=patient_story&facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_services.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Kidney+transplant+services%22%5D%7D%5D)[Living kidney donation](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories?verticalKey=patient_story&facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_services.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Living+kidney+donation%22%5D%7D%5D)[Transplant](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories?verticalKey=patient_story&facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_services.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Transplant%22%5D%7D%5D) ## Your Partners in Whole-Person Health At Sutter, board-certified physicians work together across specialties to provide trusted, innovative care. [Request a Referral](https://www.sutterhealth.org/referrals) ## Meet our care team ![Steven Katznelson, M.D.](http://a.mktgcdn.com/p/WWZp8IQLwHUy0U5qGaLMcNkRgE3VqwpI7HsCvJUMgT0/480x480.jpg) [Steven Katznelson, M.D.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-steven-katznelson-1046243630) Nephrology Kidney Transplant ![Edward M. Brooks, M.D.](http://a.mktgcdn.com/p/2GmASTJzOlJBdk1TUS6mtskVzjY1Kpr_SAvVPgbZehI/480x480.jpg) [Edward M. Brooks, M.D.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-edward-m-brooks-1046247117) Internal Medicine HIV Disease Specialist ## Related articles [View all articles](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) - Patient story ### [Second Transplant Brings Hope and Energy Back to Young Mom](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/second-transplant-brings-hope-and-energy-back-to-young-mom-2023453255) Alexis Kolsters is now living life to the fullest after her second kidney transplant. - Patient story ### [A gift for Gabby: She gets new kidney from sister-in-law](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/a-gift-for-gabby-she-gets-new-kidney-from-sister-in-law-2023563952) Gabby Rojas has a big reason to smile. That’s because she just got a life-saving kidney from her sister-in-law, Danielle Rojas. - Patient story ### [Auburn Couple Reclaims Life After Living Donor Kidney Transplant](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/auburn-couple-reclaims-life-after-living-donor-kidney-transplant-2077752313) After 39 years of marriage, Stephanie Herrera stepped forward to donate one of her kidneys to her husband Rick. [View all articles](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) ## Disclaimer _Each individual’s treatment and/or results may vary based upon circumstances and the healthcare provider’s medical judgment. Testimonials or statements made by any person(s) within this site are not intended to guarantee outcomes or substitute for medical advice._ ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/integrated-care-across-our-system-matts-story-2050673193#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patient Stories","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Integrated Care Across Our System: Matt’s Story"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/integrated-care-across-our-system-matts-story-2050673193#videoobject","name":"Kidney Failure to Transplant: Matt's Story and Living Kidney Donation","inLanguage":"en-US","thumbnailUrl":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/817826402001/0cd30b30-14f6-46eb-935b-3890fcf7d481/df65fbf0-67f9-4bc5-b5fe-51695d026764/1280x720/match/image.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-01-14T20:46:06.457Z","embedUrl":"https://players.brightcove.net/817826402001/79bcaa57-54d7-453c-9f1f-8ab3ef7b15de/index.html?videoId=6387725585112","description":"This video highlights a Sutter Health patient’s experience and the seamlessly coordinated care provided by our teams across divisions, reflecting our commitment to patient-centered care and improved health outcomes.","duration":"PT3M22S","transcript":"[SOFT ACOUSTIC MUSIC]\nMATTHEW LEE: Come on, Micah.\nWe're going to go school today.\nMy name is Matthew Lee.\nI am 39 years old.\nI am married.\nI am a father of two, one who is almost three.\nMy other one is about six months old.\nYou're so big, Bubba.\nWhen I first learned that I had kidney disease,\nit came as a shocker to me.\nI did have diabetes, but I ate balanced meals.\nI was taking care of myself, making sure I'm\non my medication regimen.\nBut I had noticed swelling in both my legs.\nIt didn't go away.\nAnd soon my wife was like, you should probably\nget that checked out.\nAnd so I went to a nurse practitioner.\nShe said, I want to run some tests with you.\nMy family had plans for the weekend.\nWe had all these things.\nAnd all of a sudden it's like, boom, you have kidney failure.\nYou're not going anywhere till we figure things out.\nIt was end-stage renal disease, and so I needed\nto be on dialysis right away.\nThe first thing that came to my mind\nwas, how was my family going to be taken care of?\nWe had just learned that Erica was\npregnant with our second son.\nMy mind was spiraling with the worst case scenario.\nERICA DANG: I started seeing a life with Matt\nnot there watching the boys grow up\nor missing out on their milestones.\nMATTHEW LEE: Everyone at Sutter Health\nwas so helpful during those really scary first days,\nanswering all my questions.\nI went to see my primary care physician, Dr. Brooks.\nEDWARD BROOKS: I do recall feeling quite\ndevastated to hear this news.\nEducation was pretty critical to help\nfear and concern and anxiety.\nThe doctors and other providers within Sutter worked seamlessly.\nMATTHEW LEE: My health care team grew.\nI had a cardiologist.\nI had a nephrologist.\nI had an endocrinologist.\nI was visiting doctors left and right.\nSTEVEN KATZNELSON: We truly had all hands on deck\nfrom multiple teams working together to make one health care\nteam to get Matt healthy again.\nRight now, there are about 90,000 people waiting for kidney\ntransplants in the United States.\nIn California, that wait could be 10 years.\nSo the importance of finding your way towards a transplant\nquickly through live donation can't be overstated.\nGiven who Matt is, not surprisingly,\nmore than one person wanted to help him\nby becoming a living kidney donor.\nHis cousin-in-law, Tiffany, who lives in Texas,\ncouldn't wait to help Matt.\nMATTHEW LEE: So we made sure that I was healthy enough.\nWe had a bunch of tests.\nThey saw some weak points in my heart,\nand they put some stents in.\nSTEVEN KATZNELSON: That heart procedure\nis a great example of how a health care system like Sutter\nworks seamlessly to the benefit of our patient.\nOn transplant day, I spent some time in the morning with Matt.\nHe was extremely calm, couldn't wait to get back to life,\nto be there for his wife, and to be there for his young kids.\nMATTHEW LEE: I definitely felt a lot\nof compassion and being seen as a person as opposed\nto a patient.\nIt means the world to me.\nAnd I'm living proof that you guys at Sutter Health\nare doing a great job.\nERICA DANG: At Sutter Health.\nLives can be transformed, and communities are changed.\n[UPLIFTING MUSIC]"} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/integrated-care-across-our-system-matts-story-2050673193#article","name":"Integrated Care Across Our System: Matt’s Story","headline":"Integrated Care Across Our System: Matt’s Story","abstract":"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.","description":"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.","keywords":["Kidney","Kidney transplant services","Living kidney donation","Transplant"],"datePublished":"2026-02-26","dateModified":"2026-03-11","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/integrated-care-across-our-system-matts-story-2050673193","inLanguage":"en-US","isAccessibleForFree":true,"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/integrated-care-across-our-system-matts-story-2050673193","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/integrated-care-across-our-system-matts-story-2050673193#breadcrumblist"}},"author":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization"},"video":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/integrated-care-across-our-system-matts-story-2050673193#videoobject"},"articleBody":"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.","mentions":[{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-steven-katznelson-1046243630#Person","name":"Steven Katznelson, M.D."},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-edward-m-brooks-1046247117#Person","name":"Edward M. Brooks, M.D."}]} ```