Chris Perez donated a kidney to Steve Sanders, a complete stranger who learned of Sanders' situation on social media. They've told Fox News Digital their incredible story about the transplant process — and how they became good friends, too.
Sanders decided to search for a kidney donor through a website he created. He shared the info on social media.
Steve Sanders, 46, is a single dad who had a rare genetic condition called uromodulin kidney disease ; his kidneys were slowly failing over time, eventually resulting in the need for dialysis for life — or a kidney transplant. Sanders is pictured with his children, ages 10 and 8. It never got to that point, though. In late 2021, Sanders got the news that he had an approved donor. "It was a total relief," Sanders said when he heard the news."I was happy that somebody was willing to give me a chance."
A week later, she followed up with him about filling out his paperwork, so Perez started to look more deeply into the process, including the potential health and safety risks and what his quality of life would be after donating a kidney."I started really doing my homework," Perez said. Perez said he also wanted to be an example to his kids of the kindness and empathy that he teaches them to have.
Before the transplant, Sanders and Perez talked on the phone and hit it off. "It was an immediate connection," Sanders said. The men are shown here with members of their families.Both Sanders and Perez told Fox News Digital that they expected to chat for about 15 minutes — instead they spoke for over two hours."It was an immediate connection," Sanders said."It was like I knew this guy my whole life without ever meeting him. We clicked right away.
"Chris has made me feel very comfortable about not owing him anything," Sanders added."This is a guy who did this out of love and kindness and a very genuine place. And that felt really good … and really harbored a place for us to become great friends."Dr. Kent Kercher, M.D., a surgeon at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, performed the surgery on Chris Perez and removed his left kidney using a laparoscopic device.
In 2021, there were 19,186 kidney donations in the U.S., according to the Organ Procurement & Transplant Network. "The outcomes are dramatically better for the patient who receives a live donor kidney transplant than the one who receives a deceased donor kidney transplant," Kercher said. Later, when the two men were both stuck at home recovering, they"helped each other get through those initial post-surgery boredom days," Perez said of the experience.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Single Dorinda Medley sees a third marriage in her future: ‘I’m ready’“I really think I will be married by the end of 2022!” the single “Real Housewives of New York City” alum exclusively told Page Six in a new interview.
Read more »
Preview: 2022 Polestar 2 adds $47,200 base model with single motor, 270-mile rangePolestar has dropped the price of the Polestar 2 with the addition of a single-motor variant.
Read more »
2022 Polestar 2 single-motor variant now available to orderPolestar announced the presence of a single-motor, front-wheel-drive Polestar 2 model last year, and today, this new variant is available to order.
Read more »
Japan’s Aimyon Drops New Single ‘Futaba’The singer-songwriter wrote the song inspired by messages and videos from 1,000 young people.
Read more »
Beyonce Basically Queen of ‘Jeopardy’ After ‘Single Ladies’ Lyrics Used in 3 CategoriesIt’s one of the most iconic lyrics (and hand gestures) of the early 2000s and on Thursday night (March 24) it popped up more than once on Jeopardy.
Read more »
New app from Texas-based Match stirs up the dating scene for single parents'Where mainstream dating apps cater to the general population, single parents can often feel like outliers, and they are oftentimes overlooked,' the vice president of new verticals at Match said.
Read more »