They were a match more than 40 years ago when Cathy and Clare Sutton became husband and wife. Last year, they became a match again.
In 2001 Cathy, Sutton was diagnosed with kidney disease. The then 53-year-old tired quickly, and would lose her appetite.
"I felt okay, or at least I thought I felt okay, because you forget how feeling really good feels,” Cathy said.
More than a decade later, Cathy was told her kidneys were failing and that soon she would need dialysis. But there was one other option - a transplant.
"Healthy kidneys, from healthy people that are alive, are by far and away the best transplant to have,” said Dr. David Rush, director of the Transplant Manitoba kidney program.
Rush says familial donors are best, and Cathy’s sister was a match. But when test results showed some risk, another match stepped up – her husband, Clare.
"Your future was going to change and here, all of a sudden, you donate this organ and it's almost right back to normal,” Clare Sutton said.
Even though he wasn’t a perfect match, Clare went through the rigorous testing to be a living organ donor.
The surgery took place late November 2013, and Cathy calls the kidney a “Christmas gift” from her husband.
“I feel like he's right there, you know,” she said, pointing to her stomach.
Each week, 3 to 4 Manitobans are diagnosed with kidney disease. Currently, more than 5,000 Manitobans are affected by it.
The province has the longest wait time for a transplant in all of Canada, and the number taking place each year in Manitoba is declining.
Currently, more than 5,000 Manitobans live with kidney disease.
