Could you be a kidney donor for Metz-Guthrie?

For years Susan Metz-Guthrie was actively involved in the community with her career in the justice system and various roles with the Footlight Players. Now she needs the help of others as she looks for a kidney transplant.

Metz-Guthrie lost her first kidney after a surprise health scare in summer 1999.

“After a lifetime of good health, I began experiencing some symptoms that sent me to the ER,” she said. “The ER doc diagnosed it as gallbladder problems, and I was admitted to the hospital.”

An ultrasound was done on her gallbladder during her stay at the hospital.

“When that was done, the astute technician Debbie Kemph noticed a mass on my right kidney,” Metz-Guthrie said. “I was transferred to Riverside Hospital in Columbus, where my gallbladder and my right kidney were removed. Prior to surgery, the urologist felt fairly certain that it was a malignant mass, but the pathology showed it was a rare type of cyst. I saw the urologist for follow-up for about a year and then was advised that I didn't need to come back unless I had further problems.”

Twenty-six years later, Metz-Guthrie fell and fractured her knee in July 2025.

“When blood work was done as part of that hospital visit, it was discovered that I was in stage-five end-stage renal failure,” she said. “Needless to say, it was quite a shock. Other than some swelling in my legs, I didn't have any symptoms. The doctors are not sure why the other kidney shut down, but I had to start dialysis immediately while I was in the hospital.”

Metz-Guthrie has been on dialysis since mid-July 2025. She goes three times a week for 3 1/2 hours each time.

“Fortunately, I am able to go to Kidney Care of Coshocton, where I receive outstanding care,” Metz-Guthrie said.

At the start of dialysis her nephrologist discussed a transplant.

“Otherwise, I will need to do the dialysis for the rest of my life and, with my advanced stage of disease, may not have good health in the years to come,” Metz-Guthrie said. “In ways this experience has completely changed my life. I have to be careful to schedule everything around dialysis and doctor's appointments. In another way it hasn't changed my life at all. I am still happy and positive about my life. My faith has never been stronger.”

A kidney transplant, though, would give Metz-Guthrie freedom back that she once took for granted.

“I would love to travel with my husband in our retirement,” she said. “We both worked hard to get to this point, and I feel like as soon as we got there, our lives became centered around illness. I also yearn to get back to my involvement with the Footlight Players, our local community theater. I have been active with the group since I was 11 years old, and it is truly my passion.”

To learn more about how to get tested to be a possible donor for Metz-Guthrie, visit her Facebook page or go to www.nkr.org/EVQ593. A blood drive also is being held in her honor Tuesday, Jan. 20 from 12:45-6:45 p.m. at the Coshocton Public Health District, 637 Chestnut St., Coshocton. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit www.RedCrossBlood.org.