Steve Sanders (on the left) and Chris Perez (on the right) did not know each other until they arranged for Perez to donate his Kidney to Sanders. Courtesy of Steve Sanders and Chris Perez
- Steve Sanders from North Carolina had a rare genetic kidney disease.
- He shared his story on social media, hoping to find a living donor.
- Chris Perez saw the post and donated his kidney to Sanders in January.
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In July, Chris Pérez’s wife showed him a post on Facebook. He was a single father of two who needed a kidney transplant to save his life. Perez didn’t know the man, Steve Sanders, but he saw himself in another father. He also thought of his 9-year-old son, Nolan, born with a congenital heart defect, whose life had been saved many times over by modern medicine. Donating to Sanders could be a way to pay back the benefits his family had received, he thought. Perez told Insider. “It was very easy to make that decision to help another person and give him the opportunity to see his children grow up.”
Pérez visited a website that Sanders had created and submitted the preliminary paperwork to be a living kidney donor. She went through months of testing and in January she donated his kidney to Sanders, a complete stranger.
The great request, the great concession
There are about 90,000 Americans waiting for a kidney transplant. Since people only need one kidney to live a healthy life, it is possible to get a kidney from a living donor. As Perez researched living donation, he took comfort in knowing that donating a kidney was unlikely to affect his long-term life.
When Sanders’ lab work showed his kidney function was steadily declining, his doctors advised him that finding a living donor was his best option. Waiting for a deceased donor can take five years or more.
Deciding to share his story publicly was not easy for Sanders. He doesn’t like social media, especially when it comes to the more personal aspects of his life. Still, he went out of his way to talk about his life as a single father and how a kidney donation could help him be the best possible father to his children, ages 10 and 8.
A unique scoop date
When Pérez was approved as a donor, he had not yet spoken to Sanders. He asked the medical team for his number and told Sanders to contact him when he was ready.
The next day, the two participated in a call planning to introduce themselves and ended up talking for more than two hours. When they got together for lunch, the jokes continued and they soon went to Perez’s house in the afternoon so their families could meet.
As the transplant date approached, Perez’s 9-year-old son, Grant, drew pictures of the operating room and even invented a Super Kidney board game. Pérez texted the photos to Sanders.
“It felt really good to know that everyone in his family was on board with what he was doing,” Sanders said.
On January 12, Pérez underwent surgery to remove one of his kidneys. When he was placed inside Sanders, he started working immediately.
“I knew it was a hit when I woke up,” Sanders said. “I didn’t realize how bad I felt until I stopped feeling bad.”
Today, Sanders has a better quality of life and a longer life expectancy than he would have without the transplant. He and Pérez share their story to encourage others to think about helping people. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as donating a kidney to a stranger, Perez said. Donating blood, plasma or registering to be an organ donor can make a difference. .jpg »alt =» The father of a 9-year-old boy donated his kidney to another father he had never met before. He said it was an easy decision.” />
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