‘He is my hero’: Saskatoon woman recovers from long-awaited kidney transplant – Saskatoon | 24CA News
On February 28, Saskatoon resident Debbie Onishenko was given a brand new kidney from somebody who noticed her story on-line.
“It didn’t seem real until I was in recovery, and I woke up and they said everything went great,” stated Onishenko.
She was simply launched from the hospital after nearly a month of recovering.
Onishenko had been on the hunt for a kidney donor after combating kidney illness, going as far as to place a decal on her automotive asking for assist. Her name was answered by Brent Kruger, seeking to assist.
In a earlier interview with Global News, Kruger stated this all stemmed from when he was scrolling by way of native news on-line one evening when he occurred upon Onishenko’s story.
“A lightbulb went on when I saw the news story of Debbie,” stated Kruger. “It was one of those things where I knew I had to try to get tested. I just felt in my heart it was something I needed to do.”
He stated he knew buddies of relations who wanted a kidney transplant, and that’s what obtained him serious about getting examined.
The course of for testing went from September to January.
“From start to finish, I probably had 40 vials of blood taken,” Kruger stated. “I got CT scans done, ultrasounds, X-rays, respiratory checks. You name it, I did it.”
On February 28, Kruger was capable of efficiently give Onishenko the kidney she had been ready for.
“The emotions were pretty intense, just knowing I was about to do something totally crazy,” stated Kruger. “It was a surreal experience waking up and just knowing, my goodness, it’s done.”
He spent 5 days within the hospital after the operation.
Kruger stated there was by no means a doubt in his thoughts that he wasn’t going to undergo with the transplant.
“For me it was paying it forward and loving my neighbour as myself and that’s what it comes down to. I’ve got a life back, I really do now,” Onishenko stated.
She is wanting foward to spending time together with her household.
Kruger and Onishenko nonetheless communicate.
“We’ve become family now,” stated Onishenko. “We are going to hang out and do things together and get to know them even better now. That’s going to be amazing. He is my hero.”
Both donor and recipient are hoping this story sheds a highlight on the necessity for donations.
“I’m just a guy who made a call,” Kruger stated. “I would encourage anyone to think about donation of any kind. Donate blood, plasma, bone marrow, we have one kidney to give. You need to give.”
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
