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‘I just shared my spare’: Stranger donates kidney, gets best friend in return

Trish Ford said she eventually had to go on the transplant list when she learned her kidneys were only functioning at 11 percent.
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LINDSBORG, Kan. (KSNW) – “I can’t even express my gratitude,” Trish Ford said.

Two strangers brought together by faith.

Growing up with a genetic kidney disease, Ford said she eventually had to go on the transplant list when she learned her kidneys were only functioning at 11 percent.

“I was afraid I would never meet my grandchildren, and I would never see old age,” she said. “I can recall driving to the pharmacy and seeing older people going to drink coffee and thinking to myself they get to be old someday and I don’t.”

That all changed when Ford said she got the call that a stranger just a few hours down the road was a match.

“We only need one kidney, so I just shared my spare,” Rita Suppes said. “I was at a place in life where I was asking God what would you like me to do now.”

Suppes said she spent the next couple of months researching how to be a donor.

“A lot of people think you can’t drink alcohol after or have to be dead to donate, but actually you don’t,” she said. “You just have to be healthy.”

Suppes and Ford traveled to Kansas City for the procedure in the summer of 2017 and returned home with much more than their health.

“I feel like I actually have a new sister in my life, she’s not just my friend,” Suppes said.

The pair said they are forever connected.

“We are like blood,” Ford said. “That’s more than sisters.”

If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a donor, you can check out this link.

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