A year ago, Ashley McIntyre didn't know Danny Robinson. Not that she let that get in the way of donating her kidney to him after hearing about his story from her mother.
Kim McIntyre, Ashley's mother, found out about Robinson's plight from the radio. Kim told her daughter about his story and the next day Ashley got in touch with the radio show and was soon talking to representatives from the University of Kentucky. She underwent a series of tests first to determine her kidney's compatibility with Robinson's and didn't meet him and his family until they were sure they were a match.
Robinson was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, a condition where an antibody gets stuck in the kidneys, which leads to inflammation, causing gradual damage to the organ, when he was 16. He undergoes dialysis three times a week, each time taking four hours. His family has offered to donate their own kidneys but sadly none of them was a match. This put Robinson on the waiting list for a kidney transplant for two years.
Then came Ashley.
After making sure that the transplant was really going to happen, Ashley met Danny and his family at a local restaurant.
"We all clicked immediately. They told me I would always be a part of their family," she recounted.
For the following month or so, Ashley and Danny kept in touch, talking on the phone and texting with each other. They also went together to fundraisers others organized for them to help in paying for transplant expenses, and friends joked they should date each other.
The two, however, didn't start anything serious until after the transplant was a success. The turning point happened at a family barbecue during Memorial Day. Now, Ashley and Danny are engaged and have a little one on the way.
Robinson will have to keep taking anti-rejection drugs but, other than that, is perfectly healthy. He's also expected to live at least 25 to 30 years more, thanks to the transplant. McIntyre remains in good health and has seen no difference in her lifestyle despite just having one kidney.
Kidney donations are sparse and donations from strangers are even rarer. There are currently over 96,000 Americans waiting on the kidney transplant list but no more than 17,000 receive one every year. While waiting for a kidney that would extend their life, 13 people die every day.
