April is National Donate Life month, and an Eagan doctor is encouraging others to consider organ donation.

Dr. Michel Broeker has been a family physician for more than 20 years. He sees patients of all ages and while he motivates them to live a healthy life, they inspire him as well.

“One patient in particular had a living kidney donation from the coworker of his wife,” said Broeker, who explained it made him think more about donation.

Later, his wife shared a social media post from a Twin Cities woman who needed a kidney.

“When I saw her post, I thought ‘Well I could do that’” he said. “Through other people I know that have done living donations, for people who are kind of wired that way it doesn’t take a lot of thought or angst to do it.”

He’s seen first-hand how kidney disease affects those who need a transplant. An estimated 90,000 people are waiting for one across the U.S., according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

“From being on dialysis for a few hours at a time, if they have complications for the access for dialysis if they get blood clots or things that they have to be in the hospital extra, it takes over their life,” said Broeker.

He had laparoscopically assisted surgery in March of 2022.

“I really felt very good,” he said. “I was surprised how good I felt. I was able to eat right afterwards, I was walking around the hallways.”

Being active has always helped Broeker stay grounded. He started running 12-and-a-half years ago and eventually built up enough endurance to compete in his first marathon in 2015.

Just six months after the kidney transplant, he ran a marathon.

“In some ways, the hardest marathon I had done because my training was affected by the surgery and so forth but also maybe the most gratifying one,” said Broeker.

He’ll log his 15th marathon later this month, which will be his first marathon post liver transplant.

In August, he gave part of his liver to a stranger whose relative also donated to someone else. It was Mayo Clinic’s first paired living liver donation.

“To me that was a no brainer if two people benefit than just one,” said Broeker.

He explained that once the healing process is done, both the donors and recipients have a full-sized liver. Nearly 10,000 people nationwide are currently waiting for a liver donation.

He’s one of a limited number of people who has been a living donor twice.

A recent study estimated that only about 100 people nationwide were dual living organ donors between 1981 and 2021.

“In some ways, it’s an extension of what I do seeing patients,” he said. “To be able to donate your kidney and liver to me was just that next step up.”

He added, “I wouldn’t change a thing. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”