Debby “knew that’s all I ever wanted,” she said. She “did it from her heart.”
After months of testing and COVID delays, the transplant was set for two days after Jim and Debby’s wedding. Debby was tempted to postpone the wedding, but friends discouraged her. The couple had already waited 10 years, canceling twice in deference to their children who announced their own engagements.
They married Nov. 22. Jim wore a gray suit with a yellow shirt, “because he’s my single yellow rose,” Debby said.
“It was the most amazing day of my life, until two days later. That was also the most amazing day of my life,” she said.
As soon as she regained consciousness, the new bride asked about Mylaen. A few floors below, Mylaen was also pleading with the nurses — “`I need to see her.’ That was the first thing out of my mouth.”
COVID-19 protocols were strict, but Jim was eventually allowed to wheel his new wife into his ex-wife’s room.
“We had our masks on too, so we’re crying, and of course our stomachs were hurting because of the incisions,” Mylaen said. “We kinda laughed and cried.”
Debby could already see the difference. The circles under Mylaen’s eyes were gone, “she looked so alive and revitalized.”
Mylaen moved in with her daughter, son-in-law and new baby Jackson to recuperate.
“I got to hold him and feed him,” said Mylaen, who welcomed a second grandson in March. “I was like, ‘I’m actually here to see this and I’m holding this little baby.’”
The women call themselves kidney sisters, pray for each other, coo over their grandbabies and are planning a big family trip to Lake Rabun, Georgia, this summer.
“This is what the world is about. Family. We need to stick together,” Mylaen said. “She saved my life.”
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This story has been corrected to reflect that the husband’s name is Jim Merthe, not Jim Strickland.
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“One Good Thing” is a series that highlights individuals whose actions provide glimmers of joy in hard times — stories of people who find a way to make a difference, no matter how small. Read the collection of stories at https://apnews.com/hub/one-good-thing.
