John Nicolas' life was changed after he became the first known patient to be awake during his own kidney transplant surgery.

“They called out my name and told me about certain milestones they had reached,” Nicolas said. “Like, 'Oh hey, we actually connected it. Hey, we're sewing things up.’"

Nicolas has been living with kidney issues since he was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in high school.

For some patients like Nicolas, general anesthesia can cause life-threatening complications.

Now, surgeons at the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center are using a single spinal anesthesia shot — the same type of sedation used for C-sections – to give higher risk and older patients a chance of transplantation.

Harry Stackhouse, 74, was the second patient to have the surgery while awake with a kidney donated by his daughter.

The surgery took less than two hours.

“Not one time did I feel, not even the shot,” Stackhouse said. “I didn't feel anything."

Stackhouse was home within 36 hours. Nicolas walked out of the hospital the very next day.

Northwestern Medicine is the only one in the country with this type of program to give more patients a chance of a dialysis-free, healthy life.

Watch the video above for the full story.