Astrid Deitado

 Around 10 years ago when I met my husband he told me he had been battling kidney disease for a long time, the reasons why he developed it where unknown but I knew as a Nurse that he was the perfect patient, I saw him every day taking his meds, exercising, been mindful with his diet and following all his doctors instructions so I was convinced he will be able to continue living his normal life, 

but in November of 2022 we received the news that we never wanted to hear, his kidneys were getting worse to the point that he was in need of a kidney transplant. 

Kidney transplant, it is a really scary surgery and more scary when you look at the statistics, in this country there is around 100.000 patients on the list waiting for a kidney transplant, only one of every five people on that list get a transplant, the rest die waiting for that kidney, it was scary to think that he was going to be part of those crazy statistics but since the beginning I knew I wanted to donate my kidney to him, there was never a doubt in my mind.  

I quickly told the Nephrologist I wanted to donate my kidney to him and we were referred to the Miami Transplant institute at the Jackson Memorial Hospital, we started with a really long, complicated process to see if I was accepted as a donor and I passed all the test, it was even determined that I was a perfect match for him, the Colombian and the Portuguese were a match made in heaven for sure ♥️ , 

but just a week after, I got some news that were really difficult to swallow, the doctors did not cleared me to give him my kidney because my kidneys were to small for him, 

it was a day that I will never forget, it was really difficult to break the news to him, I felt like a failure, I felt that I was letting him down but after a couple of conversations  I was open to look at another option, “a pair exchange”, so the plan will be looking for a match for my little kidney and that family needed to offer a kidney that matched my husband,  now I was going to be able to help two people and give my husband the opportunity to have a kidney that suits him better and my kidney will be going to someone else, maybe a kid or a petite woman and that was pretty amazing to me, we were told that the wait for this pair exchange could be from two months up to two years so we knew we needed to be patient, but against all the odds we received the call 10 days after, telling us that they had a perfect match for my husband  and for my kidney, 

we were both in shock and trying to understand and digest the size of those news, it was truly a miracle! I was told that the  person  that was going to get my kidney had been waiting for a long time, it is a wonderful person with a wonderful family, I will never forget that moment moment, I got chills all over my body, I was going to be able to also save the life of someone that I never met before, what are the odds!  

More tests and more preparations were completed and in the blink of an eye the date arrived and on March 30th,2023. We had to be at the hospital to embark in this crazy trip, both going to surgery the same day, we trusted the doctors, we had our surgeries and just like that now I became a really proud living donor and my husband now has a third and new kidney that is giving him a second chance in life 💚💚💚💚  I can say hundreds of people were praying for us, our families, our friends, the Pembroke Pines fire department family and my wonderful team, so we were happy and feeling blessed arriving that morning to the hospital  because we knew God was there with us, guiding the hands of all those wonderful surgeons and their team! 

I felt so humble but also proud to be part of something so beautiful, so weird, something that you barely hear, now I feel that my life have a new meaning and  it is incredible to witness all the love and support that our families and friends are giving us. I feel like I made an impact, what can be better  than this,  I want the world to know how something so scary can turn into something so beautiful and meaningful! 

We had a trip to celebrate my husband’s first year kidneyversary and our daughters 16th birthday in March 2024 and we are enjoying life and looking forward for a healthier future♥️