Evelyn Bautista, a 17-year-old from Bensalem, met the woman who donated the kidney that saved her life for the first time at Temple University Hospital, writes Aubrey Whelan for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Megan Bosack had been battling nutcracker syndrome for years, a rare condition causing severe pain due to a compressed vein that drains blood from the left kidney. Doctors at Temple gave her two options: to move the kidney to relieve the pressure or alternatively remove it entirely.
Bosack, who was healthy enough to live with one kidney, chose the second option, donating her kidney to a stranger – Bautista, who had been diagnosed with congenital kidney disease six years earlier.
Three weeks after the successful transplant operation, the two returned to the hospital to meet each other.
“This is so awesome, I don’t know what to say,” said Bosack.
“Thank you so much,” responded Bautista, hugging her.
The two women discussed their smooth post-surgery recoveries and shared stories of their lives before the transplant.
Bautista had spent a year and a half on the transplant list before finally finding a match with Bosack.
To read the heartfelt story of how a selfless decision from a stranger gave a Bensalem teen a second chance at life, click through to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
