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| Windham Walmart employees Jean Bennett, left, and Michelle Davis await a flight at the Portland Jetport on Monday. Davis, who is Bennett's best friend, received a donated kidney from Bennett during transplant surgery in Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday. COURTESY PHOTO |
It’s often the moment of decision in which our fates are determined and for two
Windham Walmart employees, being placed together in the same department six
years ago may have saved the life of one of them.
“Michelle’s been suffering from kidney disease for the past four and a half years,” Bennett said. “It was really hard to watch my best friend go through that and suffer so much.”
The process of waiting for a kidney donation hasn’t been easy for Davis and her family.
“It’s been emotionally and financially draining and very difficult not knowing if I would find a match or not,” Davis said. “But then a miracle happened.”
And that miracle came from a very unexpected and fateful source.
Last year Bennett herself got tested and as unbelievable as it sounds, turned out to be a potential match for Davis. Bennett then underwent immune system testing and blood work last October and that was followed up by a battery of intense and rigorous kidney donation testing in February of this year.
The Mayo Clinic reports that currently there are about 90,000 Americans in kidney failure on the waiting list for a possible match for a donor kidney and the average length of time that a recipient may spend on the waiting list is about three to five years. Many would-be kidney recipients die before ever finding a match nationally, making this particular donation even more improbable.
“She’s my best friend and she truly helped me through a tough time a few years ago,” Bennett said. “I couldn’t just sit by and let her die, I knew I needed to step up and do something. I told her I would do anything for my best friend and if I can prolong your life, I’m willing to do it.”
Davis said that she’s grateful for meeting someone as wonderful as Bennett.
“I think it was a higher power that put us together working in the same
department at Walmart,” Davis said. “I believe in fate and there’s a reason we
met. Having her to do this for me is a godsend.”
During the complicated four-hour surgical operation, Bennett’s left kidney was
removed and then transplanted into Davis, who was in surgery for about seven
hours.
Bennett says that her teen daughters are highly supportive of her donating her
kidney to Davis and proud of what she’s done.
“They understand, and they get it,” she said. “I’ll be in Florida for around 10
days and then I get to come home. I’ve been told not to do any heavy lifting for
around six to eight weeks. But I should be back to full speed about mid-July.”
Doctors say that during the coming months Bennett’s remaining kidney will
enlarge, doing the work of two healthy kidneys.
Davis was accompanied to Florida by her daughter, Samantha, who will stay with
her during her recovery period which is estimated to be between four to eight
weeks in Jacksonville. She will no longer require dialysis and should resume a
normal life because of the transplant.
Both Bennett and Davis say they have been transformed by this entire experience.
“We got pushed together at work and found we had a lot in common,” Davis said.
“Now we will have even more in common.”
Bennett said she would encourage everyone to become organ donors and through
everything related to the donation and transplant, she’s discovered something new
about herself.
“I am a much stronger person than I thought I was,” Bennett said. “Because of
this I am committed to becoming an organ donor. I never expected to save
anyone’s life, but it’s certainly changed mine for the better.” <
