St. David's North Austin Medical CenterA pensioner donated one of own kidneys to his wife of 51 years after the couple found out he was a perfect match.
While many of us search for soulmates, it seems Mike and Peggy Nipper were a perfect match for each other in more ways than one.
When Peggy’s kidneys began to fail due to polycystic kidney disease (PKD) – a genetic condition that can causes cysts to develop in the kidneys, sometimes leading to kidney failure when the organ becomes too enlarged – her husband Mike was quick to check his own blood and tissue type to see if he was a match.
PixabaySpeaking about what Mike has done for her, Peggy told CNN:
It was quite a gift, I don’t think he has to give me another gift for the rest of my life. This was the ultimate present.
Peggy was no stranger to the condition, having lost her mother to the same disease, while her brother also inherited PKD, and is experiencing kidney failure similar to Peggy.
As Peggy’s situation worsened, with her kidneys functioning at just 14%, there were only two options left – go on dialysis or have a transplant.
Still, things weren’t quite as straightforward as they’d hoped, as the usual waiting time on the transplant list is around seven years, while many hospitals won’t even perform a transplant on someone over 70 years old.
St. David's North Austin Medical CenterPeggy, 74, said:
We didn’t even think there was a possibility for him to be a direct match. If you carry babies from your husband, your blood has been mixed and very often you develop antigens against that blood because of bearing children. So we didn’t even know it was a possibility.
However, when Mike proved a positive match on both blood type and the six antigen tissue match necessary for transplant, it seemed the solution was there all along.
Mike said he didn’t even think twice about donating a kidney to his wife, saying:
We’re different people, I’m from Mars and she’s from Venus but our differences will always complement each other.
PixabayThe couple, who have been together since high school, underwent the transplant process last month at the Kidney Transplant Center at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center in Texas.
Afterwards, Mike said:
I think I’m really committed now. We promised each other, in sickness and in health until death do us part, and that’s how its going to be. We’re just trying to extend that death do us part for as long as we can.
The couple are now recovering from the procedure, and Peggy is said to be adapting well with her new kidney.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.