A mother-to-daughter kidney in Brazil in 1969 reached the age of 111 and became the oldest transplanted kidney in the world. Almost 60 years after surgery, the patient continues to live without health complications.
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28/09/2026
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News to Minutes
Um kidney donated from mother to daughter in 1969 became the world's oldest transplant kidney at 111 years of age. The procedure was done in Brazil and now, almost 60 years later, it has entered history.
Guiomar, then 54 years old, “had no doubt in donating the kidney” to her daughter, Maria Celia, who during her youth presented a condition of renal failure, in which the kidneys lose the ability to filter the blood, says the G1.
Maria Celia herself told the Brazilian publication that she had three hemodialysis sessions. In 1969, he advanced to a transplant, only five years after the first kidney was transplanted in Brazil.
At a time when the country performed less than 50 transplants a year, there were no major options for medicines to prevent organ rejection. In addition, ultrasounds, computed tomography (CTA) or magnetic resonance imaging were not performed. Still, mother and daughter managed to get into history.
“ Never had rejection, never had any complications, never intervened ", Maria Celia told G1.
The mother also “never got sick” and had a healthy life. “She never had anything. She died at the age of 97, no complications or anything,” the woman said.
“ I spent nine months inside my mother and today she's inside me. Viva”, said Maria Celia. “A lot longer inside me. And it will stay.”.
The nephrologist José Medina Pestana explained that the case of mother and daughter is rare, since most transplanted organs last between 20 and 30 years. But he acknowledged that family connection may have contributed to success.
“First, it was her mother who was the donor, so the chance for the transplant to work is a little higher. Looking like this, she was very lucky ", said.