A piece of me for you

Fri24Feb2006

For all of you who are feeling negative about Latino-African American relations in light of recent news stories, here's a little story that reminds us -- pardon the cliché -- that we are all just human and we need to help each other out:

The two men each needed a new kidney. Both had been looking for a donor. Paulette Chandler and Alfreda Torres told the Chicago Tribune they each had been separately asking for help for their husbands.
"Lord, bring us a donor," Chandler said.

"Lord, help me find a way," Torres hoped.

In both cases, the wives had hoped to donate the organ to their husbands. However, tests showed that their blood types were incompatible, making them both bad matches for their mates. Carl Chandler is Type B, Paulette is Type A. Francisco Torres is Type A, Alfreda, Type B.
After the direct donor option with a spouse failed, both men were looking at long waits on a donor list. In Chicago, that wait can be nearly five years — and even longer for minority candidates.

The solution in the end that each of the women act as a donor for the other man's husband. This ultimately saved both men's lives.

Remember those incompatible blood types? What had been a bad blood match for each spouse looked good for the other couple. Paulette Chandler's Type A was a match for Francisco Torres. Alfreda Torres' Type B kidney was a good match for Carl Chandler.

Happy Friday!

Via / ABC News