Woman Flies Halfway Around World to Donate Kidney to Complete Stranger
How far would you go to save a life? How about halfway around the world?
“A Louisiana firefighter has a new lease on life after she received a gift like no other from an unlikely hero thousands of miles away,” according to WGNO.
It all began when Denmark woman Marianne Poulsen’s husband struggled for over two years to find a match so he could undergo a kidney transplant. Marianne was saddened that she was not a match.
Unable to find a match in the Scandinavian donor exchange program, Michael registered with an international registry. That’s when he found his match and an Ohio donor saved his life.
Understanding the desperation of families at risk of losing loved ones, Marianne joined the donor list.
“Just a few months after Michael’s procedure, Marianne learned that she was a perfect match for Stephanie Morel, a firefighter from Tangipahoa Parish. At 19, the Loranger native was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a disorder that causes clusters of cysts to grow on the kidneys.”
According to Biz New Orleans, “Because her sister was a willing live donor that was not a match to Stephanie, but still willing to donate in exchange for Stephanie to receive another living kidney donation, she was also listed in the paired kidney exchange program. She was thrilled when she got the call months later about a perfect match but was more than surprised that it was an international donor from Denmark.”
Stephanie is recovering from the transplant and is already experiencing dramatically improved health! She’s able to care for herself, her family, and her community.
“Stephanie is a volunteer firefighter with the Loranger Volunteer Fire Department and is also secretary of the department, assisting her husband, Justin, who is the fire chief.”
The transplant chain will continue, possibly across continents, as Stephanie’s sister waits to see if she’ll be called up to donate.
“Paired kidney donations, or an exchange, is an approach to a living kidney transplant where patients with incompatible donors swap kidneys to receive a compatible kidney. The first paired kidney donation in the US was in 2000 and Ochsner’s first such milestone surgery was more than a decade ago.”
Marianne, Stephanie, and their families first met in August. The meeting created immediate bonding between the families and was more emotional than they’d expected. Both women were deeply touched.
“I was so happy when I learned she also wanted to meet me! It was an emotional experience that will forever be deep in my heart,” Marianne said.
“‘Stephanie shared, “I remember sitting beside Marianne thinking ‘this woman flew halfway around the world to give me her kidney.’ How amazing is that?'”
Once strangers, the families who live half a world apart are now bonded through giving. The young woman willing to lay down her life as a firefighter in her community found her life saved by a stranger from Denmark.
God does work out long-distance miracles.
