Making the Chain, Revisited

Summary

---

RISK! Podcast: Making the Chain, Revisited

Host: Kevin Allison
Guest: Christine Gentry
Date: December 4, 2025

---

Overview

In this special episode of RISK!, host Kevin Allison revisits one of the show's most celebrated stories—Christine Gentry’s “Making the Chain.” Originally told in 2016, Christine’s story details her journey as a kidney donor, and the ripple effect of her decision. Now, almost a decade later, Kevin and Christine reflect on the experience, discuss its impact, share updates about the people and relationships involved, and dive deep into the emotional, ethical, and personal resonance of live organ donation and vulnerability in storytelling.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Christine's Kidney Donation Story

• Triggering Moment: Christine spots a Facebook post from her old friend Julia in 2012, announcing her dire need for a kidney donor ([03:02]).
• Initial Attempt: Christine volunteers but is found incompatible with Julia. They enter the National Kidney Swap Registry, where prospective donors and recipients are algorithmically matched into exchange chains.
• Computerized Chain: At the last moment, Julia finds a match elsewhere. Christine, deeply moved by the experience and the powerful effect the donation had on Julia’s life—culminating in Julia having a child—decides later to donate her kidney as a "Good Samaritan" to a stranger ([05:58]).
• Setting Off a Chain: This unconditional offer allows the algorithm to create an extensive donation chain; her kidney sets off a series of 16 transplants, later expanding to 56 surgeries, pulling 28 people off waiting lists ([19:11]).

“I was looking at this child, and I was like, oh, my God. This new life and every life that will be touched by it only exists because someone was willing to donate their kidney. And I just couldn't... justify not doing it for a stranger.” —Christine Gentry ([06:37])

2. Emotional Struggles & Facing Fear

• Panic and Isolation: As the surgery nears, Christine feels alone, facing panic attacks and anxiety about the risks—she distracts herself with chores and runs into tailor Brunhilde ([09:35]).
• Brunhilde’s Support: In a vulnerable moment, Brunhilde hugs Christine and offers the advice, “You must remember to be one with the pain.” ([12:03])
• Support Network Activation: The interaction inspires Christine to reach out and share her plans more openly, receiving an outpouring of love and encouragement from her community ([12:13]).

3. The Complicated Relationship with Her Mother

• Caretaker Dilemma: Christine’s mother, once vibrant but now suffering from alcoholism and negativity, is chosen as Christine’s post-surgery caretaker, despite deep personal misgivings ([07:57]).
• Transformation: In the hospital, her mother exceeds Christine’s expectations—remaining sober, supportive, encouraging recovery, and ultimately helping to restore a broken mother-daughter dynamic ([18:13]).
• Breakthrough Moment: During a difficult recovery episode, Christine’s mother comforts her through pain and doubt, reassuring her, “You won’t, Christine. It’ll get so much better.” ([18:13])

“She did not leave my side. She slept in the hospital room with me. She didn't have a drop of alcohol or utter one complaint for five days.” —Christine Gentry ([18:13])

4. Aftermath and Impact of Donation

• Recovery and Support: Friends bring food, students send cards, and Christine finds community in her vulnerability ([18:43]).
• The Chain Keeps Growing: Months after her surgery, Christine is notified that the donation chain has grown: “It’s 56 surgeries long. Your one decision has pulled 28 people off the wait list.” ([19:11])
• Gala Invitation: She is invited to speak at a National Kidney Registry gala, bringing her mother as her guest ([19:44]).

5. Reflection and Revisiting the Story

• Re-experiencing Emotions: Christine shares that listening back, the events and especially the hospital moments remain powerful and “vivid,” even years later ([24:00]).
• Updates on the Chain: Christine has since met her “direct recipient” and other members of her donation chain at special hospital-organized meetups. She recounts the moving story of Henrietta, who was notified of her new kidney while visiting her son’s grave ([26:24]).
• Enduring Ripple Effects: The story has directly inspired listeners—including some who later donated kidneys themselves ([36:06]).

6. Honesty About Risks and Sacrifice

• Both Christine and Kevin emphasize the importance of not glossing over the physical and emotional challenges of kidney donation:
  • Surgery and recovery are “awful, so hard;” the pain is vividly described.
  • Not all donation stories have happy endings; sometimes surgeries fail or recipients do not survive long-term.
• Broader Application: Acts of love and service carry risk, and even the best intentions can have uncertain outcomes ([29:16]).

“Any act of love... there is some riskiness to it, usually, you know. You have to just own that it might not be as happy an ending as your story, but that's part of the beauty of it, too.” —Kevin Allison ([29:20])

7. Revelations about Storytelling and Legacy

• Narrative’s Power: Christine and Kevin discuss storytelling’s power to inspire action, process experience, and shape personal and public truth.
• The Chain as a Living Story: The chain continues to have new developments, and Christine observes, “Who I was in 2016 is very accurately captured by this story.” ([33:24])
• Family Impact: Christine’s act and story reverberate through her family; recently, her aunt contacted her considering kidney donation, prompted by Christine’s example ([34:46]).

8. Physical Long-Term Effects?

• Christine reports “zero percent” impact on her health from the donation, aside from needing to use Tylenol instead of other painkillers ([38:39]).

9. Symbols and Commemoration

• On her “kidneyversary,” Christine received a tattoo designed by a student: a sprial of the numbers 1–8, symbolizing her first 8 recipients, placed over her incision scar ([39:52]).

---

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Christine (on why donate):
  • “I just couldn't justify not doing it for a stranger.” ([06:43])
• Brunhilde’s advice:
  • “You must remember to be one with the pain.” ([12:03])
• Christine (in hospital, to her mother):
  • “I don't want to regret this, Mama. I really don't want to regret this.” ([18:13])
  • Mother: “You won't. You won't, Christine. It'll get so much better.” ([18:13])
• On her mom’s transformation:
  • “She did not leave my side. She slept in the hospital room with me. She didn't have a drop of alcohol or utter one complaint for five days.” ([18:13])
• News from National Kidney Registry:
  • “Your one decision has pulled 28 people off of the wait list.” ([19:27])
• On the meaning of the story:
  • “This story is not really about a kidney donation. At the heart of it, it's about my mom.” ([31:20])
• On meeting a chain recipient:
  • “She told me later that it was like winning the lottery. But you didn't know you'd bought a ticket.” ([26:46])

---

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Event | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:02 | Christine recounts seeing the Facebook post and jumping into action | | 06:43 | The inspiration from Julia’s transformation and why Christine donates | | 09:35 | Panic and the emotional lead-up to surgery | | 11:34 | Supportive encounter with tailor Brunhilde | | 12:03 | Brunhilde’s key advice | | 14:21 | Visualization exercise (the haven by the fountain) | | 18:13 | Christine’s mother’s support in the hospital (pivotal scene) | | 19:11 | Call from National Kidney Registry; the chain’s remarkable growth | | 22:47 | Reflection on telling the story while still healing | | 26:24 | The story of Henrietta, a recipient in the chain | | 29:20 | Discussion of real risks and uncertain outcomes | | 31:20 | "At the heart of it, it's about my mom." | | 34:46 | Family ripple effect—Christine’s aunt considers donation | | 36:06 | Listeners inspired to donate by the story | | 38:39 | Update: Christine’s health after the donation | | 39:52 | The “kidneyversary” tattoo and commemorating the story |

---

Flow, Tone & Final Impressions

• The episode is deeply human, embracing vulnerability, laughter, and sorrow. Kevin and Christine both lean into candid honesty—championing the importance of telling the whole truth, embracing both comedy and pain.
• The story’s ultimate message is about meaningful impact, the unexpected power of individual action, and the intricacies of relationships—particularly Christine’s with her mother.
• Storytelling is lauded as both a personal processing tool and a catalyst for real-world change; audience members have been moved to donate themselves.
• Christine’s story, though grounded in a specific, extraordinary act, is universalized as a meditation on risk, connection, and the ripple effects of love and courage.

---

For Listeners:

This episode offers a compelling, multifaceted meditation on altruism, vulnerability, and the transformative power of telling our stories—reminding us how one act, bravely chosen and honestly shared, can change the lives of many.

Transcript

[Kevin Allison]

Foreign.

Hello folks, this is Risk, the show where people tell true stories they never thought they'd dare to share. I'm Kevin Allison and today we're revisiting a story by Christine Gentry that she told on risk back in 2016. It's one of our all time favorites. In fact, it's a story that I teach in my online storytelling workshops. I do an analysis of it for the class and today we're revisiting the story together. Christine Gentry and I will in 2025 be talking about how we feel about making the Chain now. So a quick break and when we come back, Christine Gentry and I will revisit and review Making the Chain.

We'll be right back. Just got a new puppy or kitten.

[Christine Gentry]

Congrats.

[Kevin Allison]

But also yikes. Between crates, beds, toys, treats and those first few vet visits, you've probably already dropped a small fortune.

[Christine Gentry]

Which is where Lemonade Pet Insurance comes in.

[Kevin Allison]

It helps cover vet costs so you can focus on what's best for your new pet. The easiest the coverage is customizable, sign up is quick and easy, and your claims are handled in as little as three seconds.

[Christine Gentry]

Lemonade offers a package specifically for puppies and kittens.

[Kevin Allison]

Get a'llemonade.com pet your future self will thank you.

[Christine Gentry]

Your pet won't. They don't know what insurance is.

When it comes to gifting, everyone on your list deserves something special.

[Kevin Allison]

Luckily, Marshall's buyers travel far and wide.

[Christine Gentry]

Hustling for great deals and amazing gifts.

[Kevin Allison]

So you don't have to.

[Christine Gentry]

That means your mom gets that cashmere sweater, your best friend, that Italian leather bag, your co workers unwrap their favorite beauty brands, and your nephews the coolest new toys.

[Kevin Allison]

Go ahead.

[Christine Gentry]

A price is this good, you can grab something for yourself too. Marshalls we get the deals. You gift the good stuff. Shop [e-mail] or find a store near you.

[Kevin Allison]

Every holiday shopper's got a list. But Ross shoppers? You've got a mission. Like a gift run that turns into a disco, snow globe, throw pillows and PJs for the whole family, dog included. At Ross, Holiday magic isn't about spending more, it's about giving more for less.

[Christine Gentry]

Ross, work your magic.

[Kevin Allison]

The holidays mean more travel, more shopping, more time online and more personal info in more places that could expose you more to identity theft. But LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second. If your identity is stolen, our US Based restoration specialists will fix it, guaranteed your money back. Don't face drained accounts, fraudulent loans or financial losses alone. Get more holiday Fun and less holiday worry with LifeLock. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com podcast terms apply. We're back.

So it's 2012, and I'm scrolling through Facebook. And in between cat videos and foursquare check ins because it's 2012, I see a post from an old friend of mine. Actually, I hadn't seen her in years. We were really close my first year of teaching and the post was, I'm dying. It was like, I'm dying. My kidneys are completely giving up on me. All of my friends and family have already tried to donate a kidney to me, and this is my last resort. So Facebook is somebody willing to donate a kidney to me? And I dropped everything and sent her a message. I was like, I am so sorry. I didn't even know you were sick. We haven't spoken in a while, but like, absolutely. What do I need to do? And thus began this really intense series of tests. So I don't know if you guys know, but it's incredibly difficult to be approved to donate a kidney, which is why all of her friends and family had been rejected. So they run every test you can possibly run on a human being, including a pretty intense psychological exam, and if they find one thing wrong with you, they say no. But I was very lucky and I got approved to donate. But Julia and I as a couple were not as lucky because I could not directly give my kidney to her. We were not a direct match. So it's way more complicated than I have time to explain to you. But you have to be blood type, tissue type, antigen, and a bunch of other stuff, right? So I couldn't directly give my kidney to Julia, but we were approved to go into this really cool system called the National Kidney Swap Registry. So it's this algorithm, this amazing computer that tries to take all of the incompatible donor recipient pairs across the country and figure out if I can give my kidney to some random person in the country that I'm a match to. And then further down this swap chain, Julia will get one. So we go into the system and the computer gets to work and is trying to figure out how to make a chain. And at the very last minute, Julia directly matches with someone else and my kidney is not needed. Guys, it was amazing to watch the transformation of my friend Julia, right? She was not being hyperbolic on Facebook, right? She was attached to dialysis, which is basically the machine from Princess Bride, you know, like she was going home every day and hooking herself up and being like, please don't go to 50. Like, that was her day. And this one surgery, just every time I saw her, she was like a new and happier person. And then last year, she got pregnant. She had a baby. And I was looking at this child, and I was like, oh, my God. This new life and every life that will be touched by it only exists because someone was willing to donate their kidney. And I just couldn't. I just couldn't justify not doing it for a stranger. So I called the same organization, and I said, this time, I want to donate my kidney to anyone. I want to be what you guys call a good samaritan donor. And it had been long enough to where they made me go through all the testing again. But again, I was very lucky. I got approved. And this time, it moved very quickly. I mean, within two weeks of my testing, the surgery date was set, and the computer was loving it, because this time, I didn't go in with any conditions. Last time, I went in with a very complicated condition, which was Julia, right? Julia has to receive one. And this time, I'm like, I'll give it to anybody. Kidney for you. Kidney for you. And the computer was like, awesome. And it got to work, and it figured out the longest possible chain, right? It was like, oh, my God. She can give her kidney to this person who's been waiting, and their incompatible donor can give their kidney to this person, and their incompatible donor can give their kidney to this person. And so when the surgery date was set, there was already a chain of 16 surgeries that my donation was going to set off, right? So I was going to pull eight people off of that monstrous, horrible wait list. Like, what an honor. And I struggled with how to kind of deal with the celerity. It was moving so quickly. And I thought, you know, like, I don't want to be misunderstood. I don't want people to think that this is really weird, that I'm some kind of, like, hero or saint. So I chose to keep it very private, and I told very few people, But I did have to choose a caretaker, so I definitely had to ask someone to take care of me. You can't do anything, basically, for the first week. And my mother is a nurse. Seems pretty obvious that you would ask your mom, the nurse. But it was a very complicated decision for me because my relationship with my mother the last couple years has been very strained. She was this glowing, beautiful presence when I was a child, and this drinking problem had entered into her life and just sucked her into this really horrible place. And physically, she was unwell, she looked 20 years older than she should have looked. She was getting slurring drunk every night. And with it came this horrible cloud of negativity. I remember she came to visit me when I was living in New York. It was basically a jump from alcoholic serving establishment to alcoholic serving establishment. And if they were more than two blocks away from each other, she would complain. And we would go down into the subway and she would turn her tiny engagement ring around and say, I hear that they take your jewelry on the subway. And I was like, who are you? Who are you? You don't even resemble the mother that I knew when I was a child. And so, like, when I had to choose this caretaker, I was thinking, like, first of all, there's a very real risk that this woman can't stay sober, honestly, for a week to take care of me. And also, like, that kind of negativity is not something I need around me when I'm going through this major recovery. So I wrestled with it for a couple days, but then I finally decided to ask her. So I invited her to come up. And she could only take exactly X number of days off, so she was going to come in the night before my surgery. And as the surgery approached, I was just. Guys, I was getting overcome with this level of fear and anxiety that I never known before and didn't really know how to deal with. Like, the most extreme medical thing I'd ever been through was having my wisdom teeth removed. You know, like, I had no idea what to expect. I had read all the things, but I had no idea what to expect as far as the actual experience. And I remember the Friday before this surgery came, like, it was now less than a week away. And I almost, like, I think I was having a panic attack. I don't know. I was. My palms were sweaty. I was very light headed. I was so afraid. I couldn't stop focusing, like, laser focus on all of the things that I'd read, you know, like, what if I die on this operating table? What if I get an infection? What if my kidney dies on the Runway trying to get to this person that I'm trying to help? What if one day my other kidney fails? What if someone I really love needs one and I've already given it up to, like, Joe Schmo? You know, like, all of these thoughts just were swirling around and I had no one to share them with or talk to. So I was kind of a mess. And I started frantically cleaning my apartment, and I found this bag of clothes that I had shoved into the corner, probably years ago that needed to be tailored and repaired. And I was like, perfect. Perfect distraction. So I go on Yelp, and I'm searching for the closest tailor, and sure enough, there was someone who worked right out of her apartment, literally down the street from mine. And her name was Brunhilde. And I was like, yes, Brunhilde, that's exactly what I need. And I give her a call, and of course she's available. Thick German accent When she answers the phone, I was like, this is perfect. This is meant to be. And so I start walking down the street to Brunhilda's apartment. And it's February. It's Boston. It's snowing. I'm crying. It's all very emo. And I have my bag of clothes, and I get to Brunhilda's apartment, and she opens the door, and she looks exactly the way that you think she looks like. Giant German woman, huge boobs. And I walk in, and I open the bag of clothes, and I start pulling them out to kind of explain to her the things that I needed done to them. And she cuts me off. She says, honey, what's wrong?

And my bottom lip starts quivering. And I said, oh, Brunhilde.

I'm donating a kidney on Thursday. And I'm so scared. And she just grabs me. She gives me this big old hug. She sinks my head in the middle, her big boobs just pawing my back. She goes, honey, you are doing a wonderful thing.

You must remember to be one with the pain.

It was just this, like. It was this beautiful moment of this absolute stranger giving me exactly the thing that I so needed in that moment. And so when I was walking home from Brunhilda's house, I was like, I have to tell people about this. I have to. I mean, first of all, the only reason I even know that it's an option is because someone posted on Facebook. But also, like, I'm not okay. I'm not okay right now, and I need to own that, and I need to reach out to my support network. And of course, like, as soon as I posted about it, there's this outpouring of love and support. It just so bolstered me. And, like, Brunhilde and I decided that I would pick up my clothes the night before the surgery on purpose. And so I go to her apartment, you know, the night before, and she opens the door, and this time she goes, honey, you look good.

Last week, not so good. Now you look good. And my mom flew in you know, after I picked up my clothes. And I immediately got worried because the first thing she wanted to do was go get a burger and a couple beers. And I was like, oh, God. I kept my worry to myself. I was like, maybe it's just night before jitters. Maybe she just got to get that last beer out of her system. And we came home from the restaurant, and we sat down on my bed and where knees were touching, and she held my hands across our laps. And I'm not even a religious person, but she said this prayer over me. She was basically just asking God to protect me. And I just felt it. I just felt this sense of peace. And I told her about how nervous and scared that I had been and, like, how I think it's difficult for anonymous donors because, you know, in 2012, it was so easy. Anytime I started to get afraid about this possibility, I would just look at Julia. I'd be like, obviously, like, look at this person that I care about suffering. And this time, you know, there's no palpable thing. There's no person to look at. I'm, like, sending my kidney out to the ether, like, in my case, Ohio.

And it's hard. So I was, like, telling her I was crying. I was explaining the panic attack and Brunhilda and how amazing she is. And my mom helped me come up. She was like, you need to give these people faces, you know, these eight people, these eight recipients that you're pulling off of the wait list. Like, you need to imagine what they look like. And so we came up together with this haven. You know, it was based on this plaza in Barcelona that I just stumbled upon, and just. It was so beautiful. Like, I turned the corner, and it opened up into this plaza with an old church, and there was this big tree, and it was, like, raining orange flowers, and there was this little turquoise water fountain bubbling in the middle of it. And I was the only person there. And it was just the sound of my heart and, like, classical guitar bouncing off of the labyrinth of the Gothic Quarter, you know, it was just this magical place. And so we decided that was going to be my haven. And whenever I got scared, I would close my eyes and turn the corner, and I would be in that plaza, and I put the eight people at that fountain. And every time I got scared, I would just think about turning the corner and seeing those eight and being like, right, this is why I'm doing it. And I rolled into that operating room the next day, having never been more sure of anything in my life. Such A sense of calm and peace had come over me. But I am not here to lie to you. In the first few days of recovery, when were awful, they were so hard, and my mother got the crap shift. She did. And she did not leave my side. She slept in the hospital room with me. She didn't have a drop of alcohol or utter one complaint for five days. And the third day that I was in the hospital, they took me off of the Dilaudid IV drip and they tried to replace it with. With an oral version of the pill. And my stomach was not taking it. And you guys, like, nausea is just a terrible feeling regardless, like, you all know it, it's awful. It's objectively a terrible feeling. But when nausea is bathed in terror because you've just had major surgery and you have this giant abdominal incision and you know that if you puke, it's going to hurt so badly, like, that was the feeling that I had. And my mother was comforting me, and then I puked. Valentine's Day. It was Valentine's Day D3. And I was incapacitated. And so I just puked all over myself. And so there was, like, the embarrassment and I'm crying and the pain, guys, the pain. It was like every time I heaved, it was like a blacksmith had taken a newly forged spear and shoved it into my side. And my mother took this with warm washcloth, and she was wiping my face. And I grabbed the bars of that hospital bed, crying, and I said, I don't want to regret this, Mama. I really don't want to regret this. She was wiping my face, saying, you won't. You won't, Christine. It'll get so much better. And the nurse came in and she was like, oh, we should probably try a different pill. And I grabbed her scrubs, and I was like, you will never put another prescription pain medicine in my mouth. And she goes, it's really early. And I was like, I don't care. So that's how on day three of my surgery, I started recovery on just over the counter Tylenol. And it was my mother who pushed me to get out of bed every day, even though it hurts so badly. She said, you can walk a little further this time. I saw you touch the edge of that windowsill yesterday. I bet you can make it to the other side of that window today. And when they finally took my catheter out and I was so excited about taking a shower and then got so crushed because I couldn't do it myself, it was my mom who took me and led me from the bed and she walked me to the shower and she put the seat down in it and she took my clothes off and she sat me down in the shower. And then she took her clothes off.

And she stepped into the shower and she closed the curtain and she bathed me so gently. And we were both crying. And she said, christine, it's just like when you were a baby.

I went home on day four and my mom and my best friend took care of me for another six days. And my friends brought me more food than I can even eat. And my students made me homemade cards.

And then I got a call from the national kidney registry about a month ago, and they said, christine, the chain that you started is still going.

It's 56 surgeries long.

Your one decision has pulled 28 people off of the wait list.

What an honor. That's more people than could ever fit around that fountain.

And they said, we want you to come to our gala. It's the longest chain we've had in years. We want you to speak. And I said, absolutely, as long as I can bring my mom. Thank you.

We'll be right back.

This episode is brought to you by Netflix. Global superstar and comedy sensation Kevin Hart returns for his fifth Netflix special, Acting My Age.

I'm not the same man that I used to be.

I go down the stairs sideways. Go ahead.

You in a rush. Go around.

With a fresh perspective on life, family, and getting older. Older you get, the less you can have.

Is this sesame seeds on that bun?

Get it out of here. Kevin's bringing his signature high energy humor and physical comedy and a true return to his standup origins. Watch Kevin Hart, Acting My Age now streaming only on Netflix.

Close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax. And let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that it would get my new contacts.

[Christine Gentry]

In time for this class.

[Kevin Allison]

I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts.

[Christine Gentry]

Oh, my gosh. They're so fast. And breathe.

[Kevin Allison]

Oh, sorry.

[Christine Gentry]

I almost couldn't breathe when I saw.

[Kevin Allison]

The discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste.

[Christine Gentry]

Visit 1-800contacts.com today to save on your first order.

[Kevin Allison]

1-800-Contacts.

[Christine Gentry]

This episode is brought to you by Ulta Beauty. Holiday cheer is here and Ulta Beauty has gifts for everyone on your list.

[Kevin Allison]

Treat them to fan favorite gift sets.

[Christine Gentry]

From Charlotte Tilbury and Peach and Lily. Go all out with timeless fragrances from.

[Kevin Allison]

Ysl, Ariana Grande and Carolina Herrera.

[Christine Gentry]

And you can never go wrong with.

[Kevin Allison]

An Ulta Beauty gift card.

[Christine Gentry]

Head to Ulta Beauty for gifts that make the holidays brighter and even more beautiful. Ulta Beauty gifting happens here.

[Kevin Allison]

We're back.

How are you? You said you've had quite a day.

[Christine Gentry]

I've had a day. It is so nice to see you, though. It's so nice to revisit. It was like a whole experience. Re listen, because it's been a while.

[Kevin Allison]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I mean, you know, it's always been like an all time classic on the show. And one of the things that strikes me every time is that we feel all the emotions in this story, you know?

Yeah.

[Christine Gentry]

It's true. I take you all over the map.

[Kevin Allison]

And one of the things I so appreciate about you as a storyteller is that you exude that, you know, you're true to the funniness, the fear, the sadness. Like we hear it in your voice. You're. You're there.

[Christine Gentry]

Oh, thanks. Yeah, Yeah. I don't really understand. I know some people are able to do it, but I don't understand when people are able to tell it and be detached. For me, every time I tell a story, I'm very much living it again. And so go on the journey with you in a way.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah. Well, you know, I think the most common way that that sometimes happens that a person is detach if there's some real PTSD that hasn't been processed enough. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it was told in 2016. And so much has happened. Well, so much has happened in the world.

[Christine Gentry]

Both of my kidneys have had so many adventures since 2016.

[Kevin Allison]

That's true.

Oh, my God. Yeah. So how did it feel to listen back to it again?

[Christine Gentry]

There was a lot that I had forgotten that I had said, which was fun. I had listened to it a few times, of course, over the years, but it's definitely been at least two years since I had listened to it. And I was watching it too. Right. So, like, watching yourself on video is always kind of funny. But I think what struck me is just how fresh it was in the moment, because I told it a matter of months after it was very fresh. I mean, we'd have to look back at the date of the show, but I think it was March or April. I donated February 11th.

[Kevin Allison]

Damn.

[Christine Gentry]

So it was, you know, like I was still healing technically when I was on stage.

[Kevin Allison]

I don't think I realized that.

[Christine Gentry]

Yeah. So the. The emotions were very new. But it's funny because I don't think that the emotions have really faded that much because I Very much felt them all. Rewatching the story, especially the stuff with the in the hospital, like, that was, like, very, very fresh. It doesn't matter how many years it's been. Those are such vivid memories for me.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah. I do think that even though there's that famous maxim, tell stories from your scars, not your wounds, I do think that if a person has some experience with storytelling or creative writing, you know, some. Some familiarity and comfort with the form, that actually, it's often big old home runs. If it's really fresh and you're still feeling it. Yeah.

[Christine Gentry]

But also then the news that comes at the end of the story, the news that my chain had kept going, and I think at the time, my story was maybe even still going. We'd have to look back at the date, but that was, like, the freshest emotion because it was the newest news, and it was so nice to be able to have that kind of be the end of the story that this whole experience I had gone through was for what I thought was 16 surgeries. Right. And it ended up being so much bigger than that. As you said, like, so much has happened since, including being able to meet several people in my chain, including my direct recipient, which was a total honor. And also the way the chain worked is, like, me at the top. You know, I didn't have anyone connected to me. Right. And then each of the incompatible donor recipient pairs came together, and then at the end, the final donor there was kind of a hanging kidney. Right. Because there was nowhere for the kidney to go because I had been alone. So the way the National Kidney Registry works is that kidney is owed to the hospital that I had donated at.

[Kevin Allison]

Oh.

[Christine Gentry]

So the first person that I met was actually that person.

[Kevin Allison]

Holy cow.

[Christine Gentry]

Because she was in Boston, because she was at the hospital that I had donated at, and she was actually on the deceased donor waiting list. So if you know anything about kidney donations, like, the deceased donor waiting list is still, of course, better than nothing, but there's a big difference between getting a cadaver kidney and a living one.

[Kevin Allison]

Oh, my God.

[Christine Gentry]

Right. There's a really big difference in quality. So no one in her family, none of her family and friends were able to donate to her or to get into the National Kidney Registry for her. So she was waiting for a deceased kidney donor, and she got a call. She was actually at her son's grave, and she got a call from the hospital that said, not only do we have a kidney for you, but it's a living kidney.

[Kevin Allison]

Oh, my God.

[Christine Gentry]

Yeah. Her name's Henrietta, She's a total dream.

[Kevin Allison]

Oh, my God.

[Christine Gentry]

She told me later that it was like winning the lottery. But you didn't know you'd bought a ticket.

[Kevin Allison]

Oh, Lord.

[Christine Gentry]

Yeah.

[Kevin Allison]

Wow. And did you say you also met two others?

[Christine Gentry]

I have met multiple people. I would have to go back and look at exactly how many, but I've met. So the way the chain works, like, everyone has to kind of agree to lift the anonymity. It's like a double blind situation.

[Kevin Allison]

I see.

[Christine Gentry]

You know, we're all like, codes in the chain. And then if you are interested in having contact with anyone else in the chain, you have to tell your hospital. They have to.

[Kevin Allison]

Right.

[Christine Gentry]

They have to tell the other hospitals. And so we found each other. Like, I met a couple in the chain in San Diego, and then the hospital in Boston actually hosted, like, a whole meetup at one point, and I met several people on the chain, flew into Boston for that, which was really cool. I got to meet the surgeon who, you know, put his hands inside of.

[Kevin Allison]

Me and pulled the kidney out. So it's, like, nice to meet you, like, awake.

What a trip.

[Christine Gentry]

Yeah. So that was. It was really cool because everybody, of course, has their own individual story of going through kidney failure and trying to find a kidney, finding somebody who was willing to donate but not able to give directly. Entering into the registry, getting the call. Right. They all got the call because all of the surgeries happened within a few days. Days.

[Kevin Allison]

Oh, my gosh. That's outrageous.

[Christine Gentry]

Of course, there's so many planes involved. Getting kidneys out of people and into new people.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. FedEx Express.

It's really cool the way it works.

Yeah. I mean, the first thing that I thought when rehearing it is we're living in this time when there's a lot of, oh, my God, what can I do? How can I be of service? How can I help? Or what difference could I possibly make? I'm not saying everyone should be donating a kidney necessarily.

[Christine Gentry]

That's a big decision.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah. I mean, we really feel. Especially from your. The part of the story where you're leading up to the surgery and having the surgery and then recovering from it.

It's.

It. It's scary.

[Christine Gentry]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I wanted to be honest about that. I don't. I don't think people should, you know, gloss over the hard parts.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Christine Gentry]

Because anyone who makes this decision should be fully informed about it.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah. I was also thinking that any act of love, any act of. I'm gonna do this Because I think. I think it'll help someone. There is some riskiness to it, usually, you know. Yeah. It just feels like kind of sometimes you can take a big risk and go above and beyond in what you're doing in order to make a difference, and you have to just own that. It might not be as happy and ending as your story is, but that's part of the beauty of it, too.

[Christine Gentry]

That's true. I mean, I've met several other donors just over the years, and each of them has their own story. And I actually know somebody who donated, who went through everything I went through. And it was not a chain. It was a direct donation.

[Kevin Allison]

And the.

[Christine Gentry]

And the kidney didn't survive.

[Kevin Allison]

Oh, wow.

[Christine Gentry]

You know, so that's another thing you have to be, like, emotionally ready for. I'm going to go through this, and it might not work, right?

[Kevin Allison]

Absolutely.

[Christine Gentry]

I was donating February 11th in Boston. I was like, if it snows and this plane can't get off the ground, oh, my God.

[Kevin Allison]

My kidney might die on a Runway.

Oh, my God.

Wow.

[Christine Gentry]

So you're just. You really have to be ready for all of it. And it's like, no, it's no small miracle. Right. All the surgery is all going well and all the transplants being successful and everyone healing okay. And to my knowledge, we have lost one person on the chain, but she was very, very sick, and she. She got extra time because of this chain. And that's. That's hard, too, you know? But everyone should be fully informed if they do something like this. So I didn't want to. I didn't want to shy away from the hard parts.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah. It's also kind of unexpected. Well, of course, Brunhilde is unexpected in the story.

[Christine Gentry]

How fun is she?

[Kevin Allison]

She's so wonderful. But it's also unexpected in the story what happens between you and your mom.

[Christine Gentry]

Yeah. Yeah. I always tell people this story is not really about a kidney donation. At the heart of it, it's about my mom. Yeah.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, in the first half or so of the story.

I'm just. I was kind of assuming, oh, well, it's a good thing she met Brunhilde, because Mom's gonna be checked out.

Mom's gonna blow it.

[Christine Gentry]

Yeah, totally. Absolutely.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah. And has your family. Have members of your family heard the recording?

[Christine Gentry]

I don't think so. I don't think so. My family, they don't Google me. They should, because there's a whole bunch of stories about them, but I don't. I don't think they Do. I mean, they've heard. I've told different versions over the years. Like, there was one that was recorded for PBS that I think was. I think they heard that one. This one, I was, for understandable reasons, not really interested in directly sharing it. The honesty could be potentially a little painful, but of course, wouldn't mind if they did find it. Speaking of, so much has changed, right. My family has gone through a lot since this recording in 2016, including, you know, I've told stories with you about the dissolution of my parents marriage after 40 years, which happened after this story and was related to the alcoholism in this story. And also my parents healing of their relationship and rebooting as friends and, you know, ending up with other people. And my mother is sober right now and amazing. Right. So there's like, a lot of really good things that we've landed on. But that story was just one stepping stone and a long path when it comes to my relationship with my mom and her relationship with alcohol.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah. I mean, that is an interesting thing. One of the things that I always kind of worry about when I'm telling a story is once you put words to something, you begin to question, okay, is that the absolute truth? Because is anything the absolute truth? And will I feel this way even tomorrow?

[Christine Gentry]

You know, but you are capturing, like, a snapshot, right?

[Kevin Allison]

And what are.

[Christine Gentry]

Are we if not a collection of the stories that we tell ourselves and others? So, you know, who I was in 2016, I think is very accurately captured by this story and what my relationship with my mother was like. And I love that the ending of the story is like a beautiful moment of connection for us and a moment where she showed up and I was deeply worried she wouldn't. And that doesn't. You know, recovery and progress is not a straight linear line. Like, you know, it wasn't always that way since 2016, but she. She did right by me in this experience and really made it so much easier on me because it was hard. So, yeah, it was nice for. For that to be a positive moment for us.

[Kevin Allison]

I would imagine that it was inspiring for her, you know, because I was thinking so many risk stories are about a person to whom something terrible happens or they fell down a rabbit hole and then found the wherewithal to transcend it. But it's a little rarer to hear a story where someone is just like, I'm gonna do good and take a big risk in doing it, you know, so there's something wonderful and unique about that. And I get the general impression in the Story that. That your mom must have been rather touched.

[Christine Gentry]

I think so, for sure. I mean, my family was honest that they were a little worried about me doing this, you know, risky thing for a total stranger, but they were also supportive of my choice. And obviously, my mom helped me in my recovery. And an interesting, very recent little epilogue is that my. My phone rang when I was at the Harlem 125th train station. This was less than a week ago. And it was my aunt, my mother's sister, and I have not spoken to her in so long. I was like, oh, my gosh, is something wrong? You know, like, I answered the phone, and she was like, hey, your mom told me to call you because a friend of mine is kidney disease, and I'm thinking about maybe, like, helping her out. And she reminded me that you had donated. So I talked on the phone with my aunt for, like, almost an hour about the National Kidney Registry and what donation involves and everything. I should have just sent her the story.

[Kevin Allison]

Amazing.

[Christine Gentry]

But, yeah, so speaking of my mom, you know, being proud of what I've done and supportive and definitely telling other people.

[Kevin Allison]

That's extraordinary. Yeah. I love the fact that you did this. And it's 2016, and there have been so many moments of things opening up or repercussions of it since then. You know, it continuing to kind of bubble up.

[Christine Gentry]

Yeah. I mean, speaking of. I'm sure you remember this like you met someone at Caveat. His name is Hendrick, who literally donated a kidney because he heard this story on Risk.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah, totally.

[Christine Gentry]

Totally. And that's just. Just someone we know about. There might have been others as well.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah, Yeah. I tell a story on Risk. I told it long, long time ago about when I was 17 and I went down to Peru on a sort of a mission trip to build school buildings for children in the slums, you know, on the outskirts of a city. And I was asked by the Jesuits to come back and tell a story about it to all 1300 of my fellow students at the high school that I went to. And I wasn't sure how I felt about it, because I was like, oh, am I gonna sound like I'm some sort of pious saint?

[Christine Gentry]

Look at me. Look how amazing I am.

[Kevin Allison]

Yes.

But it really, really, really moved people. And then I found out that they copied the story. They sent it to all these Jesuit at high schools around the Midwest, and that so many people had signed up to go on these mission trips inspired by my story. Yeah. So that was kind of. Even though it didn't occur to me, to get into this on stage sort of storytelling many, many years later. I think that was an initial moment of oh, you can, you can do something with this stuff.

[Christine Gentry]

Right? Yeah, you and I can nerd out about this forever. But there's so many reasons to tell personal stories on stage. And you know, this one obviously helped me navigate the experience myself and make sense of it and make sense of my choices and my relationship with my mother. But also it had like a meta purpose as well. Right. Which is to make sure people know about this. I mean, God bless the National Kidney Registry. But I, I want to like hire a full time PR person because people don't know there's this vague idea. I know people understand, like one can donate a kidney.

[Kevin Allison]

Right.

[Christine Gentry]

But almost no one that I have told this story to already knew that it's possible to go into system with someone you're not compatible with.

[Kevin Allison]

And the whole chain thing I was never aware of.

[Christine Gentry]

Exactly, exactly. And that these non directed donors, as they call them, Good Samaritan donors, can start long chains of folks who are waiting.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah, yeah.

[Christine Gentry]

It's really cool.

[Kevin Allison]

That's incredible. Has your health been affected in the years since at all?

[Christine Gentry]

Zero percent, Kevin. I completely forget that I only have one kidney the vast majority of the time. Like it has not impacted my life. Life at all.

[Kevin Allison]

That's incredible.

[Christine Gentry]

And in fact, the only time that I think about it is when I have a headache because like every over the counter pain medicine except Tylenol passes through your kidneys. So if you only have one, you should take Tylenol instead of the others. So that's really the only time I think about it is if I don't have Tylenol, I have to ask somebody if they do. That's the only, that's the only time that I think about it. And so it's really true. So again, like the testing is annoying, but it is true that they do it to protect you. So they won't take your kidney unless your, your body is going to be not only okay, but just fine with just one.

[Kevin Allison]

Well, it is such a pleasure to revisit it. I am moved every time I hear it. I'm just like kind of taken aback to re. Listen and be like, oh my gosh, I'm about to cry all over again.

[Christine Gentry]

Yeah. Yeah. I felt that rewatching it as well, especially the Haven part, I got a little emotional when I remembered how helpful that was for me and that it been my mom's idea.

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah, that is a beautiful thing.

[Christine Gentry]

Yeah. To come up with that place and give those people faces that I still see. After I told this story on my one year kidneyversary, I got a tattoo on my incision scar was designed by one of my students and it's sprail and it's the number symbol and the numbers 1 through 8 and it fits right over my incision scar. And some of those people, the first eight recipients I have now met, one of them I have now lost and some of them I will never meet. It's really interesting to kind of in my mind replace some of those people around the fountain with real faces as I met real people and then some of them just remained these faces I had created.

[Kevin Allison]

And that is that. You can find Christine online@christine gentry.com so let us know what you thought of Christine's stories or any of these stories we've been revisiting. And if you've got an old Risk favorite you'd like for us to revisit with the Storyteller today, let us know. You can find us on all the social media socials riskshow or you can hit us up at the Risk Podcast Fans discussion group on Facebook or on Reddit at r Risk Podcast. Or you can just email me [e-mail] definitely email me if you're interested in my next online storytelling workshop that will start on January 14th 15th. We will meet at what will be Wednesday evenings at 8:30pm Eastern Time. So whatever time zone you're in, figure that out. And one of the things that you have access to when you become a part of the workshop is over seven hours of my lectures and story analyses and brainstorming activities on videos and Christine's story Making the Chain is I do an analysis of it in the video content for the workshop. So email [e-mail] if you think you might want to jump in on the one starting on January 14, 2026. Folks, today's the day. Take a risk.

Take a risk.

Oh, oh, oh, sorry, I wasn't recording.

[Christine Gentry]

Oh my God.

[Kevin Allison]

I saw the stop button and I was like, I've stopped.

Oh no, that stop.

And duck. Here we have the limu emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.

[Christine Gentry]

Uh, limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

[Kevin Allison]

Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Fairy Unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance company company and affiliates.

Excludes Massachusetts Ordinary Checking. Just a place to park your money.

[Christine Gentry]

Our checking a $300 head start.

[Kevin Allison]

As a member of Oregon State Credit Union, you'll feel the benefits from day one. Open a new checking account, set up direct deposit, and we'll add 300 bucks to get you going.

[Christine Gentry]

Oregon State Credit Union.

[Kevin Allison]

Human to Human banking. Insured by NCUA equal housing lender. $25 minimum balance required.

[Christine Gentry]

Subject to change terms and conditions.