Winston-Salem attorney Erik Harvey spent eight years on dialysis before he was approved for a kidney transplant. On the day he became eligible, his long-time friend and colleague, Elizabeth Lawson, signed up to donate a kidney to him. Thanks to her eagerness and Duke Health’s quick donor testing process, Harvey had a new kidney in just two months. Now, one year later, he’s enjoying life free from dialysis and celebrating his 50th birthday.
Heart Complications Lead to Kidney Failure
Harvey struggled with high blood pressure from an early age. He managed it with medication, but things turned serious in his mid-30s when a virus caused fluid to build around his heart. "There really wasn't a great answer as to why this was happening," said Harvey.
When he was 41, he started gaining weight quickly, so he met with his primary care doctor, who ran some tests. "I was driving back to my office when my doctor called and told me to go to the emergency room right away. Fluid buildup had caused Harvey's sudden weight gain, and he was in kidney failure.
When he arrived at the ER, nurses started him on dialysis. Harvey spent the next eight years having dialysis four hours a day, four days a week. “Most days I was just exhausted and not very functional,” said Harvey.
Obstacles Stood in the way of Kidney Transplant
Harvey needed a kidney transplant, but his care team in Winston-Salem wanted to resolve his heart condition first. A pacemaker helped, but then the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down his timeline. "It took years to get me to a point where I cleared all the check marks for a transplant," Harvey said.
When he was finally eligible in 2025, Harvey’s doctor recommended he go to Duke, where transplant surgeons have more experience operating on high-risk patients like Harvey whose heart complications and large stature -- 6 feet, 4 inches tall and over 300 pounds -- added additional risks. “Being a bigger guy means there are more challenges associated with a transplant and a higher risk of complications during recovery,” said Duke Health transplant surgeon Deepak Vikraman, MD, who performed Harvey’s transplant.
A Living Kidney Donor Waiting in the Wings
Since Harvey was already on dialysis for such a long time, finding a living donor was his best chance to get transplanted quickly. Plus, patients who receive kidneys from living donors tend to live longer, recover faster, and have fewer complications.
Fortunately for Harvey, Lawson was waiting. "I was very determined that I was going to be the one to give him a kidney," she said. She's known Harvey since 2009 and credits him with helping her find success in her career. She worked as his paralegal before becoming an attorney herself. Today the two are colleagues and friends, and her children consider him an uncle. "I was in his office when he got the call that he was approved and they gave him the link for people to sign up to donate," said Lawson. Before Harvey hung up the phone, Lawson had already completed her profile and submitted her information.
“We are very good at getting people from the initial referral to the evaluation and approval much quicker than other centers.”
Duke Leads the Way in Living Donor Kidney Transplants
In 2025, Duke performed more kidney transplants than any other transplant facility in the region. Dr. Vikraman explained that it's in part due to Duke's capacity to perform transplants on higher-risk patients, but also to its push to quickly evaluate and accept more living donors. Last year, Duke performed 84 living donor kidney transplants, nearly three times more than other North Carolina hospitals.
Duke's streamlined donor evaluation process plays a key role. "We are very good at getting people from the initial referral to the evaluation and approval much quicker than other centers," said Dr. Vikraman.
At Duke, potential living kidney donors are evaluated in two days. That includes everything from imaging tests to a psychosocial assessment. “They made it super simple,” said Lawson. When she reached out to become a living donor, coordinators at Duke scheduled her bloodwork appointment the same day at a facility near her home in Winston-Salem. “It was only two weeks from the initial phone call to when I was approved to be a donor,” said Lawson.
Celebrating an Anniversary and Entering a New Decade
In August 2025, two months after Lawson was approved to donate, Harvey received his new kidney. One year later, Harvey relishes his ability to live freely without restrictions or dialysis.
The first anniversary of his transplant also coincides with his 50th birthday, and Harvey looks forward to what the next chapter will bring. "I basically lost a decade to this," said Harvey. "There are so many things I wanted to do in my 40s that I wasn't able to do. So, 50s will be the new 40s."
