PERU, Kansas -- Dorthy Porter began suffering from kidney failure three years ago.
By last year she lost her mobility and eyesight. Her husband rick offered to donate his kidney for a transplant, and neither were surprised to find a match this spring.
"We are definitely bone of each bone, rib of each rib," Dorthy said.
Rick had grown accustomed to taking over the housework, and even smaller tasks like getting Dorthy dressed in the morning. Yet he wanted to do more.
"I'm the type of person that fixes everything. If something needs to be fixed, I fix it. But I couldn't fix this," Rick said.
When testing for the match, Rick found his own hidden illness: polyps on the verge of becoming cancer.
"I probably would have had full blown cancer and probably not be here in ten years or less," he said.
The couple said this process saved the both of them. Dorthy is back to her favorite activities, including cleaning the house.
"I want to be well. I want to live. I want to dance. I want to paint. These things were all taken from me in life. And it's back now. Everything is mended," she said.
For now the challenge is funding as the Porters have drained their savings. However, the two say they can survive whatever life throws at them next.
If you would like to help the survivors with their medical costs, you can donate to the couple's GoFundMe at: https://www.gofundme.com/cbsde-help-rick-dorthy-porter-thanks.
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