Debbie Donates to Her Husband

Hi my  name is Debbie Sanden I donated to my husband Bill on June 4th 1987 in Madison. Bill had been feeling very weary and he thought he had a bad resistor cold. He would sit in the chair at night as he could not lie down he just couldn’t breath good. His friend was getting married in  a few days so to be able to go to the wedding he broke down and went to the Dr, Needless to say we missed the wedding as he was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with congested heart failure at35 he had kidney failure. It came as a surprise to me but not to his family as he had been told as a teenager it could happen in the future. I still feel if I had known when we married it would happen I would have still married him anyway. His parents and I were tested for donation. For some reason I was the best match. I matched 2 antigens with him and we were both type 0neg. He had been going to dialysis three times a week. So I was very happy when they said we matched. Only thing was I needed to give him blood and he broke out in hives. Then they tested my kidney and I was allergic to the dye they used. It seemed like it would be one problem after another. I decided God meant for us to go threw all this to bring bill another chance at a good life. June 4th came we had the surgery. The Dr said we were the 19th unrelated transplant in the USA now I find there have been a lot more. I love my husband and I would do it all again and so would he even with everything he has had to go threw. He now has medically induced diabetes but he is still working. He used to work in the shop on machines but now as of three months ago he is a over the road truck driver and I work in the store as a pricing clerk.I hear the donors now give kidneys by laprascope. We both have lasting reminders my scar goes from my right side to about the middle of my back his is all down the front of him but it was worth it Bills license plate puzzles a lot of people they ask and have asked for the past 20 years what does  19KDTX mean we tell them about the transplant. The drs are very happy with bills labs the kidney is great in him funny thing I Was anemic when it was in me .Now I’m not. Thank you for providing the chance to tell our story.  I guess I would just say its a wonderful feeling to know you helped save a life.

Thank you sincerely,   Debbie sanden