Our story started back in high school, Samuel and I knew of each other and I was even friends with his sister, but it wasn’t until 2003 when we started working together that we had our first date.

At just 23 years old, Samuel had been diagnosed earlier that year with kidney fibrosis.  He was told that he would only have 10 years max with his kidneys and that he needed to maintain a proper diet or that timeline would be much shorter. 

In the beginning of our relationship, he tried pushing me away.  He kept saying “What is the point of getting into a relationship if I won’t be around?”  I was just as stubborn and kept telling him “Things are going to work out!”

During a regular check up, 8 years in, Samuel was told that his kidney function was now below 10% and that he needed to see doctors to discuss starting dialysis. I immediately asked how do I go about becoming a living donor.  This is something that I had thought long and hard about over the years – it would truly be my gift to the man I love.

His doctor sent me for a blood test to see if I was even a match, and when the results came back I was so happy I cried. 

Samuel went in for surgery for a peritoneal catheter and as a family we started dialysis on Valentine’s Day of that year.  We included our 2-year-old son in the process.  Instead of telling him not to touch things we gave him little jobs instead – he would be the one to push the button to turn on the machine, he would carry over the bags of solutions and even tape down the hose from the bathroom. We were in this together.   

Seven months later, Samuel started having pain and by the third day we were off to the hospital.  He had an infection in the peritoneal cavity and a blocked intestine, so off to surgery he went.  At that time, they also put in a line for hemodialysis.  The surgery – surprisingly – was a blessing in disguise as his appendix was about to rupture.  He was in the ICU for a week and then moved to a regular room for another week. He was discharged and then a few days later readmitted for pneumonia. In total, he spent almost a full month in the hospital.

All the while, I continued with the never-ending test to see if I could be his kidney donor.  I remember them saying that when someone receives an organ from a living donor they are getting the “Cadillac of Kidneys” based on all the extensive testing that the donor needs to pass before they can donate. 

Finally, my tests were completed, and a date was set. We rented an apartment in Winnipeg and made all the necessary arrangements. Samuel got his new kidney. I remember being so scared, but everyone was so helpful and took the time to explain what was going to happen.

Coming out of surgery, I was told that everything went well and that my kidney started working right away and how lucky my husband was to be getting my kidney.  I am 6 feet tall, and my kidney was one-and-a-half times larger than the average, but it was still a perfect fit.

After being brought up to the room, I was told that they were going to watch him a bit longer because his new kidney was working so well that in the past 12 hours he had peed 13 liters. They hadn't seen anything like that before and they were starting to worry about dehydration.

I'm not going to lie, the next few weeks weren't good. I had so much back pain from the surgery and I couldn't keep anything down. My husband felt like a million bucks. He asked me once if I had to do it again would I?  My answer at the time was ask me in a few weeks! 

It has become an ongoing joke with family and friends that Samuel stole my DNA in those early days, so he knew I was a match and that is why he agreed to date me!  We have been so fortunate to have found each other again and to have so much support from our family, friends and my co-workers.