Witham Story

In December 2004, Debi Witham received the ultimate holiday gift - a new kidney and a new friend. Debi was suffering from polycystic kidney disease, which causes the growth of numerous cysts in the kidneys. These cysts can overcome the normal kidney tissue, reducing kidney function, which can lead to renal failure. A substitute teacher in Woodland CA, she was always exhausted, needing to sleep constantly. Although she wasn't in much pain, she was anemic, which added to her weakness. In the last two years, her health was declining and she had been put on dialysis.

At church, Debi's family shared that she was in need of a kidney transplant. Fellow church member, Linda Schroeder, said, "Every time Debi's name came up, I had a sense of the thought, maybe I should help her." Although they were not close friends, Linda decided to volunteer to be Debi's donor and, as strong Christians, they felt that "if God want this to happen, let's go through with it." Debi remembers how determined Linda was - she made appointments and pushed to get the needed tests performed as soon as possible. Also a teacher, Linda knew the optimal time for the transplant to be performed would be before the Christmas holidays, while they were both on break from school. The timing eventually worked out well, and the transplant was performed December 14, 2004.

Since the transplant, both women are recovering nicely. Debi feels much more energetic and says her six year old says Mommy is "all cured!" Debi and Linda teach at the same school and the students followed their journey and learned about organ transplants. Both Debi and Linda are active moms- Debi with eight children and Linda with four (including twins). One of the reasons Linda decided to be a donor is that she lost her mother when she was very young, and she didn't want Debi's children to go through that loss.

"I feel so incredibly blessed," says Debi. "It is amazing how this has changed my life. It is so wonderful that someone was willing to donate this gift to me so I can be a mom to my kids."

When asked about being an organ donor, Linda said, "Six weeks of inconvenience is a small price to pay for what you can offer another person. These days, people are impatient and don't want to ever be inconvenienced, but think of the impact you can make on another person's life."