“Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none.” ~ Luke 3:11
Thanks to their medical team, a calling from God, and an
answered prayer, two strangers are now forever linked – both physically and
spiritually.
Elaine’s husband, Daniel, had chronic kidney disease. He
spent a year on peritoneal dialysis followed by 3 years on hemodialysis. When
his kidney function dropped below 20 percent, the couple began researching
transplant facilities.
Elaine was willing to donate,
but sadly, she wasn’t a match. Luckily, a well-matched kidney became available
from a deceased donor. Daniel’s health improved dramatically after receiving
the kidney.
Grateful for their
good fortune, Elaine attended a revival at the local Baptist Church in Roanoke.
A nurse with almost 32 years of experience, Elaine recognized the signs of
dialysis instantly as Evangelist Bryan Janes rose from his wheelchair and
preached fervently about trusting God’s plan.
Weak and jaundiced, Janes was still preaching and traveling. Humbled
to tears, Elaine recalled the toll dialysis had taken on her husband and their
livelihood.
She’d never met this man.
“I remember thinking, hmm, should I? What are the chances? What have I got to
lose? Somebody else will do it.” Little did she know then that the Lord was already
working on her in that pivotal moment.
After intense
screening, her prayers were answered. This time, she was a match.
Things moved quickly. Both surgeries went perfectly.
Surprised by how exhausted she was over the next few weeks, Elaine experienced
very little pain.
Both Bryan and Elaine
credit the Heavenly Father for a connection that profoundly changed each of their
lives.
“When people tell me
that what I did was amazing or heroic, I don’t know what to say. As a
palliative nurse, I’ve always been deeply invested in improving my patients’
quality of life,” Elaine said. “To be able to so directly impact Bryan’s life
was an amazing gift for me.”
As for Bryan, “When
Christ died for my sins, He gave me eternal life. That’s the greatest gift of
all. But second to that has to be another chance at physical life, especially
from a living donor that I’d never met. That’s a huge ask! I’m going to use it
for what God has called me to do!”
Many think that an organ transplant is only an end-of-life
decision, but it’s not. Research shows that recipients of organs from living
donors have better outcomes than those who receive organs from deceased donors.
Nearly 90,000 people in the U.S. are currently waiting for a kidney transplant
(11 will die each day waiting for one). Getting a kidney from a living donor
eliminates that wait.
Father God, we pray that the Holy Spirit
would lead just the right person(s) to further explore live kidney donation as
service to You. And be blessed way beyond what they could ever imagine! Amen
