Kidney Donor, A Truly Selfless Act
Donation protected
It all started with a traffic stop... I'll get to that in a minute.
This page is for my daughter, Kimberly Lynn. She is a 27 year old single mom... and is doing the completely selfless act of donating a kidney to a lifelong friend of the family. Kimm is a full-time Surgical Assistant in an oral surgery setting (as well as a full-time student). She hasn't been in this position quite long enough to qualify for any FMLA benefits... This means she will be off work without any pay whatsoever.
The "Best Kidney Ever" will go to Sgt Michael Hart. He has been in law enforcement for over 27 years, but now he needs this lifesaving kidney... not only to get back to his quality of life and the job that is waiting for him, but to literally survive.
Mike was a police officer in our hometown in West Michigan when I met him. He pulled me over as I was going to pick up my daughters at daycare! Kimm, at that time, was 2 years old. There was no ticket issued, and we still argue to this day over whether the stop was warranted. :)
But THIS is how God works (or Fate, if you'd prefer).
Mike and I have been lifelong friends since that traffic stop, which was over 25 years ago. We have seen each other thru marriages (both beginning and ending), the death of parents, the highs and lows that life brings. And this is where we are. Mike is in end-stage kidney failure, going to dialysis 3 times a week.
Kimm, without any prompting, decided she would be tested to see if she would be a match for Mike. After a full day at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, the transplant board decided she is a COMPLETE MATCH.
The transplant surgeon told Kimm, "Kidney donation is a truly selfless act. The donor gets absolutely no benefit from the surgery,... gets nothing out of it, except the warm fuzzies of saving a life". For Kimm, that is enough.
As I said, Kimm is a single working mom. She doesn't have anyone else to fall back on financially... but she does have a beautiful 5 (almost 6!) year old daughter. She will be out of work for up to 2 months (best case scenario), but of course her bills will not stop just because she decided to be a rockstar... she will still need to pay rent, her car payment, insurance payment, daycare expenses, etc... just LIFE.
Every dollar donated will be much appreciated. She is going to do the kidney donation regardless ... she knows Mike needs his life back! ... but if she didn't have to worry about her bills while she is recovering, that would be the best gift ever.
God bless!
This page is for my daughter, Kimberly Lynn. She is a 27 year old single mom... and is doing the completely selfless act of donating a kidney to a lifelong friend of the family. Kimm is a full-time Surgical Assistant in an oral surgery setting (as well as a full-time student). She hasn't been in this position quite long enough to qualify for any FMLA benefits... This means she will be off work without any pay whatsoever.
The "Best Kidney Ever" will go to Sgt Michael Hart. He has been in law enforcement for over 27 years, but now he needs this lifesaving kidney... not only to get back to his quality of life and the job that is waiting for him, but to literally survive.
Mike was a police officer in our hometown in West Michigan when I met him. He pulled me over as I was going to pick up my daughters at daycare! Kimm, at that time, was 2 years old. There was no ticket issued, and we still argue to this day over whether the stop was warranted. :)
But THIS is how God works (or Fate, if you'd prefer).
Mike and I have been lifelong friends since that traffic stop, which was over 25 years ago. We have seen each other thru marriages (both beginning and ending), the death of parents, the highs and lows that life brings. And this is where we are. Mike is in end-stage kidney failure, going to dialysis 3 times a week.
Kimm, without any prompting, decided she would be tested to see if she would be a match for Mike. After a full day at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, the transplant board decided she is a COMPLETE MATCH.
The transplant surgeon told Kimm, "Kidney donation is a truly selfless act. The donor gets absolutely no benefit from the surgery,... gets nothing out of it, except the warm fuzzies of saving a life". For Kimm, that is enough.
As I said, Kimm is a single working mom. She doesn't have anyone else to fall back on financially... but she does have a beautiful 5 (almost 6!) year old daughter. She will be out of work for up to 2 months (best case scenario), but of course her bills will not stop just because she decided to be a rockstar... she will still need to pay rent, her car payment, insurance payment, daycare expenses, etc... just LIFE.
Every dollar donated will be much appreciated. She is going to do the kidney donation regardless ... she knows Mike needs his life back! ... but if she didn't have to worry about her bills while she is recovering, that would be the best gift ever.
God bless!
Organizer and beneficiary
Kelly Lynn Johnson
Organizer
Vassar, MI
Kimberly Walker
Beneficiary