Marie Drain

• Donor Search Expert Coach
• Donor Search Champion for Her Husband

There are two people Marie thanks for her husband, Brian’s, “gift of life.” First, the generous friend who became part of the National Kidney Registry’s paired exchange program so that Brian could get a match. Second, the selfless stranger who donated the kidney to Brian so that he could continue to enjoy life with Marie and their son.

As a National Kidney Registry microsite coach, Marie helps people throughout the country who are on dialysis and shares creative ways with them to get their story out to the maximum number of people with the hope of finding a living kidney donor as she did when her husband needed a kidney.

When Marie’s husband, Brian, needed a kidney transplant and she was unable to donate herself, she worked at finding creative ways of sharing the news of his life-saving need.

Marie enjoys working with crafts, so one of the creative ways she spread the word was by making a quilt with Brian’s name on it, along with the names of other local people who needed a kidney transplant. She entered the quilt in the 2018 Kentucky State Fair quilt competition to raise awareness and share the need to find living kidney donors for many people. Her mission was successful; the quilt generated much-needed television news coverage on the subject. It also produced a magazine article on the condition.

Marie is a 1999 graduate of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery with an Associate Degree in Accounting. She works as an insurance adjuster.