For eight years, Christopher Barney from Dallas suffered from kidney disease. For nine years, Ernie McKnight’s kidneys were also failing from the effects of kidney cancer. The two never met until January when they were sitting in the hospital waiting room for their transplants.
Before that day, Ernie’s wife, Lisa McKnight, wanted to donate her kidney to her husband. She found out she wasn’t a match. “I had the mistaken notion that because I’m not a blood match for my husband, that there is no way for me to help in this process,” said Lisa. That’s when she learned about paired donations, a four-way kidney transplant.
Lisa was a match for Christopher. And by giving her kidney to a perfect stranger, her husband would receive a kidney too. “My wife gave, and we received and that’s a blessing,” said Ernie.
The mystery remained of who Ernie’s donor was. Who was the fourth person in this paired donation process?
“I get to meet the guy that saved my life,” Ernie said as he teared up. He waited at UT Southwestern Medical Center with Lisa and Christopher to meet his donor.
A young man named Edgar Vazquez walked in the door. He’s 26 years old and lives in Austin. “Some force pushed me to take that extra step,” said Edgar. Even though he didn’t know Ernie, he knew he wanted to impact someone’s life.
Edgar and Ernie hugged like they’ve known each other for years. “You changed my life forever,” Ernie told Edgar. He’s part of the family.
The four want to raise awareness about paired kidney donations, and the opportunity to save more lives.
