When Darlene’s life was in danger, her friend Julie gave her the miracle she needed!
Darlene Szuhay-zigmont and Julie Border were young moms and friends when Julie learned that Darlene was fighting for her life—and would offer a gift so selfless it would connect them forever!
Walking her dog through her Lewis Center, Ohio, neighborhood, Darlene Szuhay-zigmont noticed Julie Border outside working in her yard. “Hey, Julie!” she called. Ever since a mutual church friend had introduced them a few years earlier, conversation had come easily. Whether it was sharing stories about Julie’s son and Darlene’s daughter or talking about work, the two moms had just clicked.
We’re kindred spirits, Julie thought about Darlene. So now, when Darlene mentioned, “I quit my job,” Julie’s jaw nearly dropped.
“Why?” she asked, knowing Darlene loved working as a high school dance teacher.
“I just don’t have the energy anymore. I have polycystic kidney disease,” Darlene confided.
The gift of friendship
Julie
listened in stunned silence as Darlene explained she had been diagnosed with the inherited disease—which causes clusters of cysts to grow in the kidneys until the kidneys no longer work properly—in her early 20s. But it was only recently, in her late 30s, that she’d begun to experience symptoms: pain, fatigue, blood in her urine.
“My grandmother had it. And my dad died from it, because he needed a transplant and didn’t get one in time. Eventually I’ll need a transplant. Hopefully that’s years away, though,” Darlene admitted.
The way Darlene spoke— matter-of-factly; without the slightest trace of “woe-is-me”— made Julie’s heart ache.
Never once had Darlene even mentioned being sick! Yet now she could die? Would her little girl, Allie, have to grow up without her mom? And in that moment, Julie made up her mind that when the day came that Darlene did need a transplant, she would try to help. She would donate one of her own kidneys.
She didn’t tell Darlene then. She knew it would sound crazy if she blurted it out. Though they considered each other friends, she hadn’t even known this big thing. So Julie kept it to herself.
In the coming months, as she and Darlene grew closer—meeting for lunch and volunteering together at the children’s reading program — Julie continued to marvel that Darlene never complained.
“How are your numbers?” Julie sometimes asked after Darlene had blood work.
Usually, Darlene was upbeat even as she shared her results. But in time, as her kidney function plummeted from 30% down to 20%, she stopped taking her morning walks. Even going grocery shopping left her exhausted. And when a cyst occasionally burst, she would gasp in pain.
Soon after, further tests revealed Darlene’s kidney function was down to just 6%.
“It’s time for a transplant,” doctors declared.
Darlene’s angel
Gazing
down at the information that specialists had provided to hand out to potential donors, Darlene took a deep breath. Who do you possibly ask for such a gift? Her husband, Doug, offered immediately, but Darlene shook her head. “Allie can’t have two parents undergoing surgery,” she countered. What if something happened to them both? “Can I see the information?” Julie asked, telling Darlene that she was going to set up a Facebook page to help her find a donor. Secretly, though, she already knew she was going to keep the silent promise she’d made years earlier. Not wanting to give Darlene false hope in case she wasn’t a match, Julie simply texted that night: I’m getting tested. When she saw the message, Darlene burst into tears and called Julie. “Are you 100% sure?” “I’m 100% sure,” Julie assured. And after an all-day evaluation— complete with blood work, x-rays and an ultrasound— Julie received the results. “I’m a match!” she announced.
“I know you’re going to say I don’t need to say this, but I want to tell you how grateful I am . . . how grateful my whole family is,” Darlene said over and over again.
“I know. And you don’t need to keep saying it!” Julie laughed.
On transplant day, the friends held hands as they were prepped for surgery. As surgeons removed Julie’s healthy kidney and grafted it into Darlene’s body, it began working immediately.
“I knew we were a great match! Thank you!” Darlene cried when they saw each other for the first time post-transplant.
Five days later, Julie was home. Soon, Darlene followed. And within a few months, Darlene was back to choreographing school musicals!
Today, the families have celebrated Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve together, and gather for dinner and board games. And most everywhere she goes, Julie wears a chain with a silver charm shaped like a kidney and with the transplant date engraved, a gift from Darlene.
“I gave her a kidney, so she gave me one back,” explains Julie, who teases Darlene that she’ll never stop thanking her. “I had peace from the beginning everything was going to be good. I really believed that God had planned this for me.”
“It was easy to love Julie from the start. It’s like we were meant to be friends—and now I know why!” Darlene says with a smile. “I will always introduce Julie as my angel. She saved my life, and I’m forever grateful!”
Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone light.” in the HELEN KELLER