A UF student died Thursday following complications from a kidney transplant.
Cheryl Martinez, a 20-year-old UF health education student, "had been sick for quite some time," said Steve Orlando, UF spokesman.
Martinez received a kidney transplant Nov. 20 at Shands at UF and died about a week later.
In a Facebook note on Nov. 21, Martinez wrote that she had been diagnosed with renal failure due to lupus and placed on a list for donations a year and a half ago.
Lupus is a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks normal tissue.
"Tuesday morning at 3:30 a.m. I got a phone call from Shands saying they received a kidney for me," Martinez wrote.
"I just want to thank everyone for the support you guys have given me during my time of recovery after my transplant," she wrote in another note Nov. 26. "I should be out of the hospital soon and back to crazy ole Cheryl."
Michael Murphy, a UF history junior, took a religion class with Martinez. He said Martinez was always enthusiastic about participating in class discussions, and he was surprised to find out that his classmate wouldn't return.
"It puts things in perspective for you and makes you realize that other people have bigger problems," Murphy wrote in an e-mail. "I am busy worrying about exams, which seems trivial in comparison."
