Twenty years ago, the most amazing thing happened to me: I became a living kidney donor. My former husband George Lopez was always very healthy. It came as a complete surprise when he had surgery for a popped Achilles tendon and his blood work showed an elevated creatinine level. His doctor sent him to a urologist. Let’s just say this doctor did not have the best bedside manner. He came in the room, slapped George’s x-rays on the light box and said, “Mr. Lopez, you are sick, very sick. By the age of 45 you will need a kidney transplant.”
George and I just looked at each other in shock and I said to him, “I’ll give you mine.” That is how our transplant journey began.
George had narrowing of the ureters which had gone undiagnosed. This problem made the urine back up into the kidneys, causing irreversible and severe kidney damage. For the next six years we tried every preventative measure, such as stents, to keep his native kidney working as long as possible. We also told no one!
In Hollywood you can be an alcoholic or a drug user and they will hire you. But twenty years ago, they would not hire you if you had an illness. We could not risk that the show would be canceled. It was a difficult time because each year George’s kidney function would deteriorate further, and we had to keep it a BIG secret.
I remember the moment when the doctors informed us that it was finally time to begin the testing process for George’s kidney transplant, something we had managed to postpone for six years. His kidney condition had deteriorated rapidly, making it urgent to act to avoid dialysis.
I had so many emotions: determination, fear for George, and anxiety about telling our daughter, wondering if the transplant will work, and if we can keep it private. Our daughter Mayan was nine years old. George was in the middle of filming the fourth season of the George Lopez television series. So many people depended on him, and no one working on the show knew George was dealing with any of this. We were able to wait until the season wrapped, but just barely. At that time, George was at 17 percent kidney function.
I had an alias at Cedars Sinai and all my testing was done under the name Ann Ace, and George was Tom Ace after our daughter’s favorite movie Ace Ventura. When George was in the recovery room and starting to wake up after the transplant, the nurse said, “Mr. Ace, can you hear me? Tom, open your eyes.” George said he forgot his alias and kept wondering why they were calling him Tom!
Becoming a living kidney donor is a specific process. You cannot simply decide to donate a kidney. You have to have your own team of doctors, and you undergo health evaluations to make sure your body can handle the stress of surgery. You also have other testing done to see if you are a match. If the operation would pose any risk to your health you will not be approved to be a donor.
I also had to go through psychological counseling, and they brought up things I had never thought about such as how would I feel if my kidney got rejected or if we got a divorce. I said I would be very disappointed if my kidney was rejected, but knowing we had tried was important
to me.
As for divorce, which ultimately occurred, it obviously brought a great deal of pain. However, what mattered most was that my daughter would still have her father in her life. Nothing is more important than that. Unfortunately, during the divorce a false news article said that George was divorcing me, the woman who gave him a kidney. The truth is, I am the one who made the decision to end our marriage and file for divorce. Many of the less reputable news outlets picked up the rumor, and like wildfire it became a false narrative we could not contain. George still faces a lot of flak and hate because of this false narrative. I am not claiming that he is without fault, but it is not for that reason.
I remember the doctors trying to tell me that the odds were incredibly low for me to be a good match, yet in my heart I knew I was going to be George’s donor. So when I found out I was a match for George, I was ecstatic! It felt like we had won the donor lottery. Back then, it was uncommon for spouses to match. I am grateful for the advancements in transplantation over the last 20 years which have allowed more couples to donate to each other.
After the transplant, George felt so much better when my kidney kicked in! The media went wild over the story. We were in People Magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and countless newspapers around the country. We sat down with “Dateline,” “Good Morning America,” and other television shows, and we did a satellite tour talking to news outlets all over the country. Suddenly there was a dialogue about live kidney donations. We heard from so many people who had decided to donate one of their kidneys after hearing our story. That made George and me so happy to be able to shine a light on living organ donation.
A transplant is major surgery and there was pain afterward. I was also very tired. It took about six weeks for me to get back to normal. These discomforts were a small price to pay to help my husband. I had no complications after surgery, and my health since the transplant has been great. Today, I work out, I hike, I bike, and I eat a balanced diet. The transplant did not impact my own health in any way. I do have a few scars which I consider my bad-ass mementos for being an organ donor and saving a life!
We celebrated the 20th anniversary of our kidney transplant on April 19, 2025. Mayan has her dad, George has his health, his fans have him. I have George as a dear friend and the father of my only child. It is just such a miracle! Every year on the anniversary Mayan writes a beautiful post about what organ donation means to her and how grateful she is to still have her dad in her life.
Mayan grew up on the set of the George Lopez show. She always wanted to visit her dad on the set. Mayan was always following the director around and they finally made her “Kid AD” because she wanted to work on the show. On show night she had a headset, and she would bring the actors from hair and makeup to the set. She loved it. George and I paid her $20 each show night.
Twenty years later it is so amazing to see Mayan and George star in a television series together. Lopez vs. Lopez originated from a series of comedic TikTok videos by Mayan. It is the first show to be created from a TikTok. To see Mayan with her own show and doing what she always wanted to do is so special. To be doing it with her dad makes it doubly so. The fact that George is healthy, thriving, and being so darn funny is just a blessing. Mayan and George have truly created something very special. Some of the people working on Lopez vs. Lopez worked on the original show and have known Mayan since she was five years old. It is a full circle moment in so many ways.
We had so many friends reach out to us when the news of the transplant came out. Clint Eastwood was the very first to call us, Sandra Bullock sent us weeks’ worth of yummy food, Damon Wayan sent us a barrel of kidney beans, Freddie Prinze Jr. came over and made us laugh. And there were so many more sweet moments and acknowledgments. It was so special to feel so much love from our friends.
I have been working with Renal Support Network (RSN) for over ten years. I worked on the poker and bingo tournament, the Renal Teen Prom, and now at Studio Hope Thrift Store in Burbank. The Renal Teen Prom just celebrated its 26th year. Mayan and I would get dresses donated to the prom from friends. On the day the girls came to pick their prom dresses, we would be there to help these special young ladies pick their dresses. Mayan was a junior in high school and I felt it was very important that she was volunteering for an event so special to kids her own age living with kidney disease. Mayan loved sharing this special time with the girls. I think it is so important to get children and young adults to volunteer and start them on a path of philanthropy.
Mayan and I would also attend the prom. Mayan helped encourage quite a few of the shy kids to get out on the dance floor. During the pandemic Mayan and I hosted a Zoom version of the prom as well as a Zoom bingo game night. She and George also did a “live” Zoom tour at Ripley’s Believe It or Not. The pandemic didn’t keep RSN from connecting with these amazing kids who are so full of courage, resilience, and aspirations.
People ask me if they should donate a kidney. I say do it if you can! It is the ultimate recycling. Seriously, besides giving birth to my daughter, being a living kidney donor has been the most profound experience of my life. We all need to continue to spread the word. The more people who share their living donation experiences, the greater the impact we will have. I also feel more representation of organ donation in an accurate manner on television and film will bring even wider awareness to a larger audience.
To be able to extend the life and give health to another human being is just a mind boggling and humbling experience. George is alive and in good health. Mayan
has her dad. That makes me so grateful. It is a feeling
like no other.
Ann Serrano Lopez is a producer, actress, and organ donation advocate. As an actress she has been seen in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, and Life with Bonnie, and has appeared in over 60 television commercials. She executive produced the TV movies Naughty or Nice for The Wonderful World of Disney, Mr. Troop Mom for Nickelodeon, the documentary Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire for Netflix, and various other television specials and short films.
Story photo credit: Brad Everett Young @bradley206
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