In an extremely uncommon instance of couples matching one other for the purpose of transplantation, a husband and wife from Nashville are recuperating at home together after she donated a kidney to him.
Within a short period of time after discovering that physicians at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital had formed a panel and found that Amy was a partial match for her husband, Stephen and Amy Bredfeldt, who reside in Franklin, Tennessee, had kidney transplant surgery on April 30.
According to a local news site, Amy started the process of donating a kidney with the intention of helping a stranger and moving Stephen up on the list in the beginning of 2024. This was when Stephen’s health reached a stage where physicians warned him that he would have to seek a kidney transplant or spend his life on dialysis. Amy’s intention was to assist a stranger and move Stephen up on the list.
There was no way that we could ever be a fit for one other. Amy said that there are a lot of things that need to complement one another.
Nevertheless, after enduring a battery of tests, she got a call from the physicians informing her that she had the potential to be the person who could prevent her husband from having to endure dialysis procedures for the rest of his life.
I was filling with joy. She told the source that her response to the surprising news was as follows: “I actually left the office, went in my car and cried, then pulled myself together, and then I called [Stephen].”
In 2022, Stephen was diagnosed with a rare hereditary kidney condition known as lgA Nephropathy. This diagnosis came about as a result of an event in which he passed out.
Stephen shared his thoughts with WSMV, saying, “There were times when I’d given up, times when I thought it would have been better if I just passed away in that moment when I passed out when I passed out.” “Because I’m going to be honest with you, what kind of life is it to be on dialysis?”
He remarked, “At first, I couldn’t believe it when I found out that Amy would be his donor.” Amy had informed him that she would be his donor. Honestly, I didn’t think it was possible.”
It is now time for the pair to return home following their individual procedures on April 30. Stephen is now taking about 35 medicines per day in order to keep his body from rejecting the new kidney that Amy has given him.
Stephen stated of his wife, “She is my hero,” and he meant it. “She literally saved my life, and it is something that I will never forget to be grateful for the rest of my life,” she said.
There is a GoFundMe page that has been established by relatives of Amy and Stephen’s family in order to assist the couple in paying for medical expenditures that are not covered by their insurance.
