Mans gift to his favorite grocery store cashier

As supermarket specials go, this one sounded too good to be true:

One grade-A, healthy, human kidney -- for free.



Myra de la Vega, a cashier at a Jewel-Osco store in Evanston, thought that the man she knew only from her checkout line was joking when he told her he'd donate the organ she so desperately needs.
But Dan Coyne, a Chicago Public Schools social worker, was serious.
So, Friday morning, surgeons at Northwestern Memorial Hospital will remove one of Coyne's healthy kidneys and transplant it to de la Vega, a 49-year-old Filipino immigrant and mother of two who was diagnosed with renal failure three years ago and has continued to work even as she's undergone dialysis ever since.

The transplant "will give me another 25 or 30 years of life," de la Vega, clearly still astounded by her customer's generosity, said Tuesday as she sat with Coyne at Pershing East Magnet School, 3113 S. Rhodes, where he works. "It's unbelievable: a complete stranger offering his kidney to me."

much more at link including a picture! definately worth the read.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2119428,CST-NWS-kidney24.article

Kidney Donor and Recipient doing well.

part of the article.

Coyne first met Myra at the Jewel-Osco where she's a cashier -- after he chose her check-out line because she was so friendly. Three years ago when she started to look ill, Coyne asked what was wrong and learned De La Vega was on dialysis for kidney failure.

He then talked with his wife of 27 years about the possibility of helping the woman. He got her OK, but De La Vega said no - hoping her sister would be a match. When she wasn't, Coyne offered again and Myra accepted after Coyne's two kids went through her check-out line one evening last month and gave her a card with the incredible news that their dad was a match.

full story at link:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7354316&rss=rss-wls-article-7354316

God sure works in mysterious ways....Dan going through Myra's line all the time because she was so friendly, and now look what he was able to do for her. That was a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing it.

Thanks Cambria.

Another part of the story that stood out to me is Dan is a social worker, albeit with the school district and not CPS where we so often see Social workers 'reamed' at WS when they aren't 'perfect'.

When I first read this story, I noticed he was a good caring person working in social services who demonstrated so outside of his profesion and that made me smile. In addition, his kids bringing the card to Myra sharing 'my dads a match'! He taught his children how we can go the extra mile to help others too.

Many ways to smile from this story imo.

Two very lucky families here.... melted more than made my heart smile with this story.

This story just made my heart sing with joy.
What a wonderful and compassionate thing to do.

God Bless them both.

Wow, what a heartwarming story. Made me cry. But, tears of joy this time instead of tears of sadness and heartache.....like from the stories we usually see on here.
There really are good people in the world.

<modsnip: Removed quoted post due to personal information>

I loved this story too. Thanks for sharing, it brightened my day.
I'm a heart recipient. I do not know my donor family in person, but I do know that they were brave enough, strong enough, compassionate enough, and simply incredible enough to donate their childs' heart in a moment of pure grief and anguish, to try and help save the life of a complete stranger.

I send my transplant coordinator a letter for them every year on the anniversary- thanking them, letting them know that their childs' heart is well taken care of- and that it has been on a mission to help other people help complete strangers since the moment I took my first step after the transplant.

They send me "Happy re-birthday" cards on the same anniversary.

Please- sign your donor cards, your licenses, and talk with your family members about donation. And if you can donate blood, platelets, or plasma....please, please, please do so! You may save a life each and every time.
Oriah

Oriah said:

I loved this story too. Thanks for sharing, it brightened my day.
I'm a heart recipient. I do not know my donor family in person, but I do know that they were brave enough, strong enough, compassionate enough, and simply incredible enough to donate their childs' heart in a moment of pure grief and anguish, to try and help save the life of a complete stranger.

I send my transplant coordinator a letter for them every year on the anniversary- thanking them, letting them know that their childs' heart is well taken care of- and that it has been on a mission to help other people help complete strangers since the moment I took my first step after the transplant.

They send me "Happy re-birthday" cards on the same anniversary.

Please- sign your donor cards, your licenses, and talk with your family members about donation. And if you can donate blood, platelets, or plasma....please, please, please do so! You may save a life each and every time.
Oriah

Click to expand...

From my experience the heart recipient patients are especially connected to the donor family, regardless of if or how often you meet. I know one donor family who met the heart recipient and the donor's brother didn't say much, but he came with a stethoscope so that he could hear his brother's heartbeat.

To me, your donor's family are the most thoughtful and brave people. What truly wonderful people. And how much love to show when they are grief-struck and at their worst possible moment.

You're very thoughtful to send them letters. I'm sure that means a lot to them, and that their child's heart went to someone who would appreciate the gift.

<modsnip: Removed quoted post due to personal information>

Agree entirely. If ever an experience has humbled me, it was the gift that was given me, agift that not only saved my life, but that lives inside my soul every moment of every day.

what a beautiful story.....