This former Gardiner athlete succeeded on one kidney. Now, she’s in a battle for her life

Gardiner’s Rising Star Awaiting Life‑Saving Kidney Transplant

Gardiner, Maine – 21‑year‑old Kylie Boardman, a former standout athlete for Gardiner Area High School and Central Maine Community College, has spent her life defying medical odds. Born with a solitary dysplastic kidney—a condition in which one kidney never fully develops—she survived a pregnancy that doctors warned was unlikely to succeed. Now, she is on a transplant waiting list and preparing for a future that could hinge on a donor’s generosity.

From a Fragile Beginning to the Sports Field

Doctors told Bill and Jennifer Boardman that their daughter had less than a one‑percent chance of surviving. The family refused to terminate the pregnancy. “It was a day that my wife and I will never forget,” Bill recalls. “We went home and were like, ‘If we get one hour with her, great. If we get two hours, that’s even better.’”

Boardman’s early years were marked by medical interventions, including a catheter placed at just two days old. Despite her challenges, she grew up to be a four‑sport athlete, playing field hockey, volleyball, girls hockey and softball at Gardiner. At Central Maine Community College, she posted eight goals and 22 assists in two seasons of women’s hockey, and served as a team captain.

She earned Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference honors in volleyball and was part of the 2022 Class B softball state‑championship team. “In retrospect, I really shouldn’t even be here,” Boardman said. “I feel so blessed that I’m here in the first place.”

The Weight of a Single Kidney

The condition that made her life possible has begun to take its toll. Boardman now suffers from fluid buildup around her eyes, which is pressing on her optic nerves. She may need a shunt to prevent further vision loss. “If this pressure doesn’t come down, it will cause vision loss,” she explained. Her doctors are weighing whether to proceed with a shunt before a kidney transplant.

She also reports fluid in her lungs, shortness of breath, chronic fatigue, and the everyday strain of tasks that used to be effortless. “Putting up my ponytail is like running five miles,” she said. “It’s a very hard adjustment going from an active sports lifestyle to this.”

Boardman’s pelvis, fractured in high school, never fully healed due to a lower calcium level linked to her kidney disease. “I couldn’t play my sophomore season of volleyball, which was fine, because (it was the COVID season),” she said. “It never fully healed, so I played with a broken bone inside of me.”

A Family’s Support System

Boardman’s father, Bill, has been a constant presence at her appointments and on the sidelines of her high‑school volleyball team, which he coaches. “He is so devoted to that team and he loves coaching that team,” Boardman said. “It’s refreshing to see him coach and coach with such passion. It’s not an easy process for him because he comes to most of my appointments.”

The Boardman family has recently opened up about Kylie’s condition, launching a website—kidney4kylie.com—to connect with potential donors. In late August, insurance approved a transplant and she received a voucher through the National Kidney Registry’s voucher program, which prioritizes her case.

“At this point, it’s just a waiting game for me,” Boardman said. “It’s a very quiet waiting game to hopefully get a new and better chance at life. Every day, I just pray it’s out there.”

She remains hopeful that a kidney could arrive by the end of the year. “I’m at peace with it,” she added.

Life Beyond the Hospital

Despite the looming procedure, Boardman continues to work four days a week at Serendipity Creek Childcare Center in Gray while living in Poland with her boyfriend, Jack Keefe. “I’ve never been scared,” she said. “It’s just hard. I see people planning for their future right now, and I can’t do that because I have this massive surgery that I have to plan for, and plan, for a year, to be out of everything. It’s frustrating. But I’m at peace with it. I have such a good support system around me that I’m OK with the fact that it’s going to happen.”

Looking Ahead

Kylie Boardman’s story is one of resilience, community, and the relentless human spirit. As she waits for a donor kidney, her life in Maine remains a blend of everyday work, athletic passion, and the quiet hope that a new organ will grant her a healthier future. The Boardman family, with the support of friends, coaches, and the wider community, continues to rally behind her, turning a daunting medical journey into a testament of perseverance.