A new kidney — free of daily meds |

Shawn Wiederhoeft is a pretty regular guy in his 30s. The Madison native works as a video game developer and maintains an active lifestyle. He’s healthy — in the best shape of his life — and regularly spends time with friends and family in southern Wisconsin.

But it wasn’t always a given that Wiederhoeft would be able to participate in life so fully. In fact, “Uncle Shawn,” as he’s known to family, is healthy today thanks in large part to a new kidney he received in 2020 from his sister, Meagan Hahn, of Wauwatosa.

The transplanted kidney has given Wiederhoeft a new lease on life, and because he and his sister chose to participate in a cutting-edge clinical trial at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, he’s also able to live without the need for anti-rejection medications.

With no daily medications and only occasional medical checkups, Wiederhoeft says he sometimes almost forgets he’s the recipient of a kidney transplant.

“I have to consciously remind myself that there’s a third kidney in here,” he says. “I feel healthier than I’ve ever been.”