RD201904

status in the United States. “So I felt

like this was a time that I could pay

that ahead and continue that bond

into the future,” he says.

But could he? When Doug confided

to Shirley that he wanted to donate a

kidney, she thanked him but said her

guess was that doctors would tell Doug

what they had told her: You’re too old.

“And I said, ‘All I know is that I’ve

got two really good kidneys, so I’d like

to give this a go,’” Doug recalls. He

immediately had his doctor send his

medical records to Georgetown Uni-

versity Medical Center, where Jim was

being treated.

Within a month of their Air Force

reunion, Doug was cleared for major

testing. He flew to Washington, DC,

in mid-August, where he underwent

five days of MRIs, EKGs, CT scans, uri-

nalysis, and more. Jim was grateful

but didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Until we heard those final results

that yes, you are an absolute match,

I didn’t want to get too crazy,” Jim

says. “Because the letdown is severe.”

The testing revealed not only that

Doug’s tissue type matched Jim’s

but also that he had the kidneys of a

35-year-old. His secret? “I just lead a

good, clean life,” Doug says. “Just the

usual stuff to stay healthy.”

When the doctors gave him the OK

to donate, Doug immediately called

Jim, then asked for the first surgery

date available. Jim and Shirley put

their dog in the car and drove up to

Washington, DC.

On September 18, 2018, Doug and

Jim sat side by side in hospital gowns

on adjoining beds. Doug went into

surgery at 7:30 a.m.; Jim followed at

9:30 a.m. By noon, they were both

in the recovery room. The transplant

was a success. “It’s pretty miraculous

to be able to take an organ out of one

person’s body—a living organ—put it

in another person’s body, and have it

work,” Doug says. “And there’s noth-

ing finer than knowing I’ve helped an-

other person live a better life.”

Reader’s Digest Everyday Miracles

56 april 2019

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pete lynch on mcsweeneys.net