When you hear this woman’s story, you might not understand how she could sacrifice the most valuable gift of life, one kidney, to the luckiest recipient, her brand-new husband’s former wife.
Jim Merthe and Debby Neal-Strickland have been a devoted couple for more than 10 years after Jim divorced his ex-wife, Mylaen Merthe. For more than a decade, the couple has thought of marriage several times, but decided to put it off until their own kids started getting engaged. Meanwhile, Jim maintained the responsibility to pay his children support with Mylaen. Although Debby and Mylaen weren’t particularly close, they got on well with each other.
Mylaen, who’d suffered from kidney disease for long, got her condition worsened. At the same time, she knew she was about to become a grandmother for the first time. She desperately wanted a donated kidney so she could survive to meet her grandchild and see her daughter become a mother. That was how a hunt for a donor match started. Her brother offered to donate his kidney, but he wasn’t a viable candidate. Miraculously, Debby was.
Two days after getting married to Jim, Debby took off her wedding dress to wear a hospital gown and go on a kidney transplant with Mylaen. After the forty-eight-hour surgery, Mylaen was saved.
Being asked about why she helped Mylaen, Debby explained how hard it was for a child to grow up without his grandmother. Of course, she would not let it happen while she could do something to stop it. “It was the most amazing day of my life, until two days later. That was also the most amazing day of my life,” Debby added.
Thanks to the successful surgery, Debby and Mylaen have bonded and referred to one another as “kidney sisters.” Mylaen is living happily with her daughter while seeing her grandson grow up day by day. Meanwhile, Debby and Jim continue fostering lovely kids and giving them a loving embrace at their home.
h/t: Little Things
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