“Helping others is always the right choice!”
Rich O’dea’s blind date turned out to be the perfect match . . . for his good friend who desperately needed a kidney in order to save her life!
First dates can be awkward, but the conversation flowed like water as Jennifer Thomas and Rich O’dea chatted.
After meeting through the dating app, Tinder, they had attended an Imagine Dragons concert.
“This is the last Friday night I’ll be out for a while. It’s crunch time for my running team. Marathon training starts tomorrow at five a.m.,” Rich confided.
“Wow! That’s intense,” Jennifer replied, laughing that she couldn’t fathom getting up at five a.m. to run.
“Well, it’s for a good cause,” Rich said, explaining he was running in order to raise money for polycystic kidney disease, the condition his friend Scott Bragan’s wife, Erika, had that was causing her kidneys to fail.
“It’s so sad. They have two kids . . .” Rich said. And suddenly, all Jennifer could think of was her own son, Jayden, 11. What if I were sick? Would anybody step forward to save me so Jayden wouldn’t lose his mom?
Following her heart
So though she knew nothing more about Erika than what Rich had already said, the Tampa, Florida, single mom found herself asking, “How do I get tested to be a donor?” Rich was stunned. Is she serious? he wondered, telling Jennifer he’d find out and let her know. A few days later, Jennifer texted Rich. I just wanted to let you know I’m likely getting back together with my boyfriend. Though disappointed, Rich appreciated Jennifer’s honesty. Thank goodness I never told Scott she asked to be tested as a possible donor, he thought. After other prospective donors had not panned out, the last thing he and Erika needed was another disappointment. But to Rich’s amazement, his phone dinged again. Do you have that information about getting tested as a donor, though? You’d still do that? Rich typed back. Absolutely! Jennifer replied. In fact, she had given it such serious thought, she’d done research on her own— and couldn’t shake the idea maybe she was the one meant to help this other mom. When Rich told Scott and Erika, they were shocked, too. “Somebody who has never even met me is willing to do this? I can’t believe it!” Erika marveled. Now 46, Erika had known for years that her kidneys were failing from the same disease that had taken her mom’s life.
“I knew the end of the story already: dialysis or transplant,” Erika recalls.
So she’d always maintained a healthy lifestyle. Still, in recent years, Erika’s kidney function dropped to under 5%.
She’d had to all but stop working. Even nibbles of food left her nauseous. And some days she could hardly get off the couch. But now, her hopes soared— thanks to a stranger! And when the women met, Erika blurted in gratitude, “You’re amazing!”
Truly a happy ending!
By some miracle, Jennifer wasn’t only the same blood type as Erika— O negative— but a battery of tests proved she was a perfect match for Erika!
“I knew it!” Jennifer said. And when she explained to Jayden that she would be undergoing surgery to help another mom, he exclaimed, “I’m so proud of you!”
Soon, both Jennifer and Erika were checking into the medical center. And after the transplant, as soon as they were allowed to get up, they were walking down the hospital hallway to check on each other. “I’m already feeling so much better!" Erika beamed.
Erika remained in the hospital a few days longer than Jennifer. But on Thanksgiving Day, she went home—where Jennifer and Rich and their families all celebrated the holiday together, toasting to how thankful they were for their new friendships.
“You saved my life!” Erika told Jennifer, tears in her eyes. And she thanked Rich, too—for even if he hadn’t found his match via Tinder, he’d found hers!
“I was in the right place at the right time. I've always said failure was not an option!” he says.
Today, Erika is healthy again. “Jennifer will be part of my life forever!” she beams. Jennifer feels equally blessed. “Donating to Erika has brought me so much joy,” Jennifer says with a smile. “I’m so lucky that I was able to show Jayden that helping others is always the right choice. And to know that Erika can enjoy her life with her family now . . . that’s a priceless gift to me, too!”
Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” LUCIUS ANNAEUS SENECA