One Shallowater woman was lucky enough to find a donor match just a few months after she found out she needed a new kidney. Her surgery was only a couple weeks ago at Baylor Scott and White Health in Fort Worth and she got a life-long friend along the way.
“It’s like dating somebody. You’re always worried about you know like ‘Oh Gosh.’ That’s what it does feel like! It is. That’s exactly what it’s like,” said Melany Conner from Shallowater, “Oh I need everyone to be on their best behavior. Okay no funny business.”
Conner went into kidney failure after she gave birth to her twins 3 years ago.
“They did not think that I was going to make it to 30 weeks with the twins, but I had different plans,” said Conner.
Fast forward to 2017 and her kidneys were failing faster than ever.
“To think. I’m a young mom. I have young kids at home. What. In the world. Am I going to do?” Connor said.
That’s when Jennifer Walker came into the picture. It turns out the same day Walker got approved to be a donor, someone who knew Melany saw Walker’s social media post.
“None of my family was very supportive. No one understood why. When they asked why I was like I don’t know why. That’s something I can’t answer. It’s just something that was in my heart. Something God was telling me to do,” said Walker.
The pair said it was an instant friendship and they feel like they were meant to meet in life. They were together through the entire process and now they’ll be side by side through life.
“It’s amazing it’s a strong bond and I mean it was so strong so quickly and I know for a fact if I ever need anything. I can call Jen and she’ll be there,” said Conner.
The doctors at Baylor Scott and White Health said the average wait for an organ transplant is 4 years and there is a huge need for these donors.
If you’re interested in signing up, you can contact Baylor Scott and White Health here.
