A man from Illinois married the woman to whom he donated a liver. Christopher Dempsey, a former marine officer, decided to donate his liver to a woman with stage 4 liver disease.
Heather Krueger, who had already been ill for two years when doctors told her she only had a 50 percent chance to survive another two months without a transplant. The woman was diagnosed in March 2014 and turned 25 the same month. In June, the same year, she entered liver failure.
Dempsey was at work when he heard the story of someone dying; it was one of his co-workers' cousin, a young woman who had no chance because of being too far down on the transplant list. Without even knowing her, the man didn't hesitate to volunteer as a donor.
Dempsey immediately began the testing to see if he was a match for Krueger. Surprisingly, he was a match, although the woman had other people tested before and none of them could help.
"I spent four years in the Marine Corps and learned there never to run away from anything. So I just said to myself, 'Hey, if I can help, I'm going to help,'" the man told CBS.
The two met in person for a lunch no more than a week later, and Dempsey proposed to hold a fundraiser within his motorcycle club, to help the woman pay the medical fees associated with her disease and the transplant. The families of the two were present, both concerned about the safety of their children.
On March 16, 2015, they both entered the operation room. Krueger's liver was entirely removed, and 55 percent of Dempsey's liver was transplanted to her; since then, both organs regenerated. Although there have been some initial complications, they're both perfectly healthy today.
Although the ex-marine told her that there was no obligation associated with his gesture, and their lives could go on different paths after the transplant procedure was over, there's more to the story than this.
As it turns out, the two were compatible in more than just a medical way. Soon after the operation, they confessed their feelings for each other. Last December, Dempsey proposed to Krueger during a trip to Chicago, a few months after their romance had begun.
The two got married earlier this month.
"You believe in me and you make me feel amazing every single day. Because of you, I laugh, smile and I dare to dream again," the woman said in her vows.
