Debbie Onishenko discovered it pays to advertise..The Saskatoon diabetic with eroding kidney function needed a new one. Five years on the donor list and trying to find a suitable donor in her family brought no success. .“Kidney disease, it does take a lot out of you. And it can start affecting all your organs in your body. Yeah, so everything sort of starts wearing down,” Onishenko said in an interview with Western Standard..“I've been on the donor list for the cadaver kidneys for many years. But there's over 80 people in Saskatchewan that need kidneys. A kidney may come available and someone who just got on the list yesterday, it may be a perfect match for them. Well, they'll get the kidney, even though you may have been waiting for many years already.”.Last summer, Onishenko remembered how an Ontarian inspired a kidney donor but putting an ad on their car. She decided to do the same. Then her husband phoned the local TV news stations and they did reports on her predicament..“I just kept getting these calls…There were a few people who called to offer to donate, but some of them had something wrong with them, that they couldn't donate or whatever. And then Brent called, and it's just been an amazing adventure ever since.”.Brent is Brent Kruger, a fellow Saskatoon resident. After seeing Onishenko’s plea on the news last August, and noticing they had the same blood type, he felt prompted to offer his kidney. Onishenko said her family is extremely grateful..“They were just blown away, that people offered to be even tested. And actually, I've got two people Brent and another lady who is being tested as well, too. These people to be so unselfish, and so giving, is just a miracle. It's unbelievable.”.Kruger went through months of blood tests, then a series of scans, and finally shared the results on a Facebook post January 25..“I've been waiting VERY impatiently for a week and a half for the results of the cross match test results…The call came at 2:45 today and the coordinator said, ‘How does it feel to be the latest approved kidney donor in Saskatchewan?’ There was silence on my end and I said, ‘Are you serious?’ Not only did I find out that I was approved but I found out today that WE'RE A MATCH!!!” Kruger recalled..Kruger works for Teen Challenge, a Christian ministry that helps addicts into recovery. On Facebook, he said his kidney donation was divine providence..“Throughout this ENTIRE process God has had his fingerprints on every step of the way. I have never been on a journey in life that has ever been this clear..“I had no idea I was a healthy as I was before this!!! I thought I was in rough shape but I guess not!!!.“Debbie I am so, so glad that I have been chosen for this and the donation hasn't even happened yet but this process has changed me forever. I am humbled and honoured to have been chosen by God to give you this kidney. It is no longer mine so I will take care of it for you until the surgery day…..“God is 100% in this, Debbie was about to have her dialysis port surgery soon and now she doesn’t even need that!!!”.How do you thank someone who has given their kidney? Onishenko said no words or gesture can suffice..“My head has been spinning since I got all the news that we're a match. There is no way on this earth I can ever thank someone for doing such an amazing thing. But we are going to be lifelong friends forever and be there for each other, him and Allison [Kruger’s wife]. They are both amazing human beings, who will just hopefully be blessed for the rest of their lives for doing this.”.On Facebook, Kruger said it took time for his wife to be as enthused and wholehearted about the prospective donation as he was..“Another thing that has stood out to me in this journey is the journey Allison has been with this too. She was super hesitant at first and [which is] perfectly understandable and she slowly warmed up to the idea, to where she was praying that Debbie and I would be a match and she’s now ALL IN!!! I love you Allison..“Now we wait for a surgery date. The OR's at St Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon is reserved for kidney transplants every last Tuesday of the month.”.Kruger has started the Facebook group “A Miracle Journey” to document progress on the transplant. He hopes that his donation will inspire others, and so does Onishenko..“I just want people to know that there are good people in the world now. Everybody's so cynical and horrible and this kind of thing. And I want them to know that there's love and caring, that human beings can still love each other and help each other. .“Maybe people out there will start doing simple things like donating blood plasma, be living donors for kidneys or livers, bone marrow donors. There are many, many things and many ways you can get on these registries, so if it's ever needed, you've already been tested, and can just give and save a life.”
