A story of a kidney donation ended with a romantic twist when the donor ended up falling in love with the stranger she donated her kidney to, The Courier-Journal has learned.
Ashley McIntyre, of Kentucky, is still reeling from how things turned out after she decided in Jan. 2014 to donate her kidney to Danny Robinson, a 25-year-old man she heard was on dialysis and in desperate need of a kidney. The two had never met before the surgery, but due to what McIntyre called divine intervention, they fell in love and are now getting married.
"I never in a million years imagined this would happen...It was a whirlwind," McIntyre, 26, told The Courier-Journal from their Jeffersontown home, while holding her fiancé's hand. "It's crazy how it all worked. It was all planned out by God."
Back in January, Robinson was one of 100,000 people in the U.S. waiting for a transplant. None of his family members were a match.
"I was on dialysis three days a week, four hours a day," Robinson, who was born with a condition that causes his kidneys to degrade over time, told the newspaper.
His mother spoke of his need for a transplant on the "Terry Meiners & Co." radio show. McIntyre's mother was listening and later shared what she heard with her daughter, who was struck by Robinson's story and wanted to do something to help.
She reached out to Meiners the very next day. She also contacted the University of Kentucky Transplant Center and was soon put through dozens of tests, including blood, urine, an EKG and psychological exams.
Every kidney test was a match with Robinson, like "one match after another," the bride-to-be said. McIntyre thought to herself, "'This can't be a coincidence.'"
The coincidences didn't stop there, and by the time McIntyre's family finally met Robinson's, "We all clicked immediately," McIntyre said. "They told me I would always be a part of their family."
From then on until the April 17th surgery, the donor and receiver developed a friendship, attending fundraising events together to cover expenses while they took time off from work for the surgery, The Courier-Journal reported. Friends suggested the two date, but they chose not to out of fear of making things worse in case the transplant failed.
But the kidney transplant was a complete success.
"Words cannot express how much (you've) done for me," Robinson wrote in a message on McIntyre's kidney-shaped hospital pillow after the surgery.
Their romance blossomed about a month after the transplant during a family get-together.
"It was really clear early on that this was it," said McIntyre, who accepted Robinson's proposal when he popped the question last Christmas.
The unexpected couple is now planning their wedding and is also expecting the arrival of their daughter, to be named Berkli. Both are also living normal lives, with doctors saying Robinson's lifespan extended at least 25 years thanks to his fiancée's kidney.
"I know being a living organ donor is not possible for a lot of people. But it's something to think about," said McIntyre, who hopes her experience can inspire others to donate.
"It's just kind of a human thing, something (to) do for another person that could change their life."
