Wife is perfect match in husband's search for a kidney donor

A couple in Forney is celebrating something good following a transplant operation that put both husband and wife in operating rooms.  

Last Tuesday, January 9th, Brittany Jones was wheeled into surgery at Medical City Dallas to donate one of her kidneys to her husband Isaiah.

He'd been sick with renal disease for the past several years.

"I have dealt with kidney disease for four years and I've had different effects on the body of lack of strength, shortness of breath, trouble, sleeping, lack of appetite, and et cetera. And over time, my kidney function began to decrease," Isaiah told NBC5.

Last fall, his doctor told him he needed a new kidney. The doctor asked Isaiah about a living donor. A friend? Or family member? 

"I hadn't even thought about, let's see if my wife would be willing to do that, but that was actually something she ended up bringing to me," Isaiah said."

"He didn't want me to do it. He did not want me to go get tested. He said, 'It's gonna be too painful. We have a toddler who is 19 months. Who's gonna take care of the toddler? Don't do it.'," Brittany said.

But a future together was Brittney's thought as she proceeded with testing.

"At least this will be my contribution to helping my husband. So went in and went through the first round. And so they were like, 'We gotta take lots of blood,' she said. "So we went in and did that and a week later, they were like, 'Hey, we need you to come in for some more blood.' I was like "Oh, that means round one is done."

More blood, more tests and right before Thanksgiving, the couple learned Brittany was Isaiah’s perfect match.

"For me, it meant quality of life to know that his quality of life was gonna be better, meant that our family's quality of life, meant that my son would get to see his father play with him, actually play with him and not get winded and get tired, to know that he could go to work and I'm not nervous that he's going to call me and say ‘Hey, babe, I need you to pick me up.’,” Brittany said.

"I already knew that Brittney loved me. She's proved that over the years.  This just gave another depth to the love that she has for me because she willingly made a sacrifice so I could live a better quality of life, so I could have a longer life," Isaiah said.

A week after the transplant, husband and wife are back home in Forney recovering and rejoicing.

"I would say it's almost like I've been recharged, almost kind of like when the battery is dead and you get sparked, you know, jumper cables to charge the car back up. That’s basically how my body feels," Isaiah smiled.

"For anyone ever considering, like, 'Could I do this?' If you're a mom, you could absolutely do this," Brittany said. "We are, of course, still on our medications. We do have appointments and things and checkups."

Brittney admits for now, she's moving a little slower and not quite as active when their toddler wants to play.  Yet, the couple are counting their blessings and celebrating what they call "a second new year."

"I really feel good and looking at his face, seeing him eat and get his appetite back and all that stuff that makes me feel even better. So, being at home has been great," Brittany said.

"It just feels like I've gotten the whole burst of energy and it, it just feels great," Isaiah said in a virtual interview with Brittany at his side. "Yeah, I almost told him to give me my kidney back because he was moving faster than me at the hospital."

Brittany's sense of humor is present as she describes the process of becoming a living donor from testing to transplant to recovery but she quickly shifts to serious when discussing the critically important need for more living donors and the conversations she wishes more people would have.

"Most of us consider organ donation as far as, 'I'll give my organs when I die. Well, I'll put that on my driver's license'," she said. "No, there are organs we could use and you could still live and still have good quality of life on your own but you also are able to bless someone else. So I just want to get that message out."

Isaiah wanted to share a second message about hope.

"Sometimes we get diagnosis and prognosis and the first thought is like, 'Oh, my gosh, you know, life is over, life is ruined. I'll never be the same.' But there is still hope, There is still an answer and God hasn't forgotten about you no matter how much pain you're feeling, no matter how many appointments you go to, no matter how many doctors you have, no matter how many medications you're taking, there is still hope," he said.