Kim Teele - 29
"God clearly spoke to my heart and told me I needed to offer her one of my kidneys. It was not something I took lightly. I prayed about it for several months."
“In June 2011, God called my son, John, to be the student pastor at Life Church in Sulphur, Louisiana. When I went to visit him that August, I met a remarkable woman named Amy McGee; she and her husband, Josh, were members of my son’s church. Amy and Josh opened their hearts, and home, to John and treated him like family.
“Amy had end-stage renal disease. She had been diagnosed with the disease at age 11 and had gone through four kidney transplants by the time she was in her early thirties. Amy went to dialysis three times a week, with each appointment lasting a minimum of five hours. But she had the most positive outlook on life. I was just amazed at how she saw every day as a gift from God. Even though she was limited in what she was able to do, she still made the most of each day. She was a teacher, tutored special-needs children, helped raise her deceased sister’s four children, was very active in her church and did numerous other things.
“During that week, as I was visiting my son, I also spent a lot of time with Amy and felt very overwhelmed with wanting to help her in some way. As I watched her Sunday morning in church worshipping our Lord and Savior, God clearly spoke to my heart and told me I needed to offer her one of my kidneys. It was not something I took lightly. I prayed about it for several months, and in July 2012 I shared with Amy what God had laid on my heart. Amy was overjoyed to say the least. For the next year, Amy consulted with numerous doctors trying to find one who would perform the transplant. Amy was considered a high-risk case; the 15 years of dialysis had taken quite a toll on her body. We were very excited about the possibility of her getting my kidney and being able to live a life free of dialysis. In September 2013, Amy went into the hospital and unfortunately due to complications she passed away. I was devastated by her loss and the loss of a dream in providing her with my kidney.
“After this, I found myself in a season of not knowing what to do, yet my desire to donate never wavered. I now see that it was God preparing this divine appointment between whoever is to receive my kidney now and me.
“In May 2014 my pastor, Derek Lambert, donated one of his kidneys for a friend from his former church. It was through his donation that I found out about UAB and realized I could be an altruistic donor. God once again spoke very clearly to me: ‘If you are willing to donate a kidney, does it really matter who gets it?’ My response was ‘no,’ it did not matter. So in July of this year I came to UAB to see if I was a candidate to donate. When I got the call that I was approved I was elated, and from that moment on, I have thought about and prayed for the recipient of my kidney daily.
“Something else very special to me in all of this is that Amy’s husband, Josh, was here for my surgery. Amy’s mother also sent me a text beforehand, too. It’s really great that Josh was able to be here because he is special to my family and to me.
“When you look at this kidney chain, honestly, I’m awed and overwhelmed to be a part of it. It’s hard to put into words. For me, as a Christian, I believe it’s a divine appointment that God has put into place, and it’s just amazing to be a small part of it.”