From Lifesaving Gift to Lifelong Friendship: Living Kidney Donation Offers a Second Chance at Life
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Oklahoma City - November 21, 2024 - When Mikala learned that her childhood friend, Tony, was suffering a sudden, fatal illness, she knew she wanted to do everything she could to make sure his wife, Cristil, did not feel alone.
“To know Tony was to truly love him,” Mikala said. “[Cristil and I] remained in close contact during her grieving process. My heart smiled when she told me that Tony had mentioned me on their first date. At that time, I was going through one of the hardest seasons in my life and he was there for me through it all. Just as he had done for so many others, I have no doubt.” Shortly after losing her husband, Cristil’s own physical and mental health quickly declined. She began dialysis to treat the kidney failure she had battled for five years, going to multiple four-hour treatment sessions per week. She was placed on the kidney transplant list and began the long process of finding a match. Mikala discovered through a Facebook post that Cristil needed a kidney transplant. After realizing the two were the same blood type, Mikala began to pray about the possibility of her becoming a donor. Although she and her husband had many questions about the process, Mikala never felt any hesitation about her decision. |
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The process of testing to ensure the pair were a match took just over a year, and the living donation finally took place on June 17 at a transplant center in Oklahoma. The day after the successful transplant, Cristil was already up and walking. Mikala says when she saw Cristil walk into her hospital room, and how much healthier she already looked, she knew she made the right decision.
“[It was] the greatest gift anyone could ever give me,” Cristil said. “It gave me my life back. Not only are Mikala and I kidney matches, but we are also close friends. She has helped me tremendously through my darkest season of life, just as Tony helped her. I feel that this is Tony’s way of saying ‘I’m still with you, and you will be okay!’”
In the months since the successful living donation, Mikala and Cristil are in excellent health. The pair grew closer during the testing process and leaned on each other during difficult times. Having returned to normal life, they talk several times per week and see each other in person whenever possible, going shopping, spending time in the city or just grabbing a coffee.
“My life, physically, has been impacted so minimally,” Mikala told us, “but my awareness of people who are battling kidney disease has increased drastically. I want to share my experience so others know how safe and life changing living donation can be. I’d do it again in a heartbeat!”
Across the country, more than 100,000 individuals are waiting for a lifesaving transplant, with 68,000 waiting for a kidney. For more information, contact a transplant center near you to find out if they have a living donation transplant program. As we near the holiday season, LifeShare encourages Oklahomans to remember that the greatest gift you can give to another is the gift of life.
Whether you choose to become a living donor or simply decide to register at the DMV or on our website, you can make an impact. Bring hope to those waiting for a lifesaving transplant by registering your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at LifeShareRegistry.org.
About LifeShare Transplant Donor Services of Oklahoma, Inc.
LifeShare Transplant Donor Services of Oklahoma is a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to the recovery of organs for transplant purposes. We work closely with three transplant centers and 145 healthcare organizations in the state of Oklahoma to facilitate donation.
“[It was] the greatest gift anyone could ever give me,” Cristil said. “It gave me my life back. Not only are Mikala and I kidney matches, but we are also close friends. She has helped me tremendously through my darkest season of life, just as Tony helped her. I feel that this is Tony’s way of saying ‘I’m still with you, and you will be okay!’”
In the months since the successful living donation, Mikala and Cristil are in excellent health. The pair grew closer during the testing process and leaned on each other during difficult times. Having returned to normal life, they talk several times per week and see each other in person whenever possible, going shopping, spending time in the city or just grabbing a coffee.
“My life, physically, has been impacted so minimally,” Mikala told us, “but my awareness of people who are battling kidney disease has increased drastically. I want to share my experience so others know how safe and life changing living donation can be. I’d do it again in a heartbeat!”
Across the country, more than 100,000 individuals are waiting for a lifesaving transplant, with 68,000 waiting for a kidney. For more information, contact a transplant center near you to find out if they have a living donation transplant program. As we near the holiday season, LifeShare encourages Oklahomans to remember that the greatest gift you can give to another is the gift of life.
Whether you choose to become a living donor or simply decide to register at the DMV or on our website, you can make an impact. Bring hope to those waiting for a lifesaving transplant by registering your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at LifeShareRegistry.org.
About LifeShare Transplant Donor Services of Oklahoma, Inc.
LifeShare Transplant Donor Services of Oklahoma is a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to the recovery of organs for transplant purposes. We work closely with three transplant centers and 145 healthcare organizations in the state of Oklahoma to facilitate donation.
