These lifelong friendships changed into life-saving ones.
Christine “Chris” Morales and Debbie Thompson say they’ve been best friends since they were young girls growing up in California — and have continued to remain close within the a long time since.
The 2 bonded during highschool cheerleading practice, moved into their first adult apartment together and stood by one another of their weddings.
“We got married a 12 months apart. We got engaged a 12 months apart,” Morales told ABC News. “We’ve just done the whole lot together.”
Then a medical scare threatened to finish their time together.
In 2015, Morales revealed she had been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder that had slowly damaged her kidneys. She was in need of a transplant from a compatible donor.
Thompson said she jumped at the prospect to assist.
“I said, ‘Well, you possibly can have mine!’” she recalled to ABC News. “I didn’t even know what the method was.”
“I just don’t work without Chris,” Thompson told CBS News.
Thompson took tests to find out if she could possibly be Morales’ donor, and far to their delight, the lifelong best friends discovered they were a blood match.
Six months later, the ladies successfully underwent the difficult procedure at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. “She calls the kidney ‘Little Deb!’” Thompson said. “She all the time says ‘Little Deb’ is doin’ good.”
Chris, Debbie, and their respective husbands, Ron Morales and Brad Thompson, happily resumed planning their futures together when the same scare arose in 2020. This time Ron, who has Type 2 diabetes, was told he would wish a kidney transplant.
Like his wife had done, Ron initially tried to cover his health scares from the Thompsons, however the terrifying secret eventually got here out. Inspired by their wives’ story, Brad immediately reached out to Ron.
“He called me up over the phone and said, ‘Hey, I hear you would like some extra body parts,’” Ron recalled.
The 2 men underwent testing, and although they weren’t exact matches, they were approved for the procedure also at Cedars-Sinai. Ron reportedly needed to get blood transfusions to arrange his immune system to not reject the brand new kidney.
Ron was also given just a few directives from Brad. “I said, ‘You possibly can’t call it ‘Little Brad,’ and you possibly can’t bring me flowers on the anniversary like Chris does.’”
This foursome has a friendship like no other — and now they’ve the matching scars to prove it.
Last 12 months alone, nearly 25,000 Americans received kidney transplants — a recent record, in keeping with the United Network for Organ Sharing. The organization announced in September that the U.S. achieved its one millionth organ transplant — greater than some other country on the earth.
These lifelong friendships changed into life-saving ones.
Christine “Chris” Morales and Debbie Thompson say they’ve been best friends since they were young girls growing up in California — and have continued to remain close within the a long time since.
The 2 bonded during highschool cheerleading practice, moved into their first adult apartment together and stood by one another of their weddings.
“We got married a 12 months apart. We got engaged a 12 months apart,” Morales told ABC News. “We’ve just done the whole lot together.”
Then a medical scare threatened to finish their time together.
In 2015, Morales revealed she had been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder that had slowly damaged her kidneys. She was in need of a transplant from a compatible donor.
Thompson said she jumped at the prospect to assist.
“I said, ‘Well, you possibly can have mine!’” she recalled to ABC News. “I didn’t even know what the method was.”
“I just don’t work without Chris,” Thompson told CBS News.
Thompson took tests to find out if she could possibly be Morales’ donor, and far to their delight, the lifelong best friends discovered they were a blood match.
Six months later, the ladies successfully underwent the difficult procedure at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. “She calls the kidney ‘Little Deb!’” Thompson said. “She all the time says ‘Little Deb’ is doin’ good.”
Chris, Debbie, and their respective husbands, Ron Morales and Brad Thompson, happily resumed planning their futures together when the same scare arose in 2020. This time Ron, who has Type 2 diabetes, was told he would wish a kidney transplant.
Like his wife had done, Ron initially tried to cover his health scares from the Thompsons, however the terrifying secret eventually got here out. Inspired by their wives’ story, Brad immediately reached out to Ron.
“He called me up over the phone and said, ‘Hey, I hear you would like some extra body parts,’” Ron recalled.
The 2 men underwent testing, and although they weren’t exact matches, they were approved for the procedure also at Cedars-Sinai. Ron reportedly needed to get blood transfusions to arrange his immune system to not reject the brand new kidney.
Ron was also given just a few directives from Brad. “I said, ‘You possibly can’t call it ‘Little Brad,’ and you possibly can’t bring me flowers on the anniversary like Chris does.’”
This foursome has a friendship like no other — and now they’ve the matching scars to prove it.
Last 12 months alone, nearly 25,000 Americans received kidney transplants — a recent record, in keeping with the United Network for Organ Sharing. The organization announced in September that the U.S. achieved its one millionth organ transplant — greater than some other country on the earth.
