The best coworkers often go out of their way to help their colleagues do their jobs well. One Massachusetts man went above and beyond that threshold to help a fellow worker whose organs were failing him.
Cambridge, Massachusetts, resident Matt Knowles had received a kidney from his sister in 2006, but after 10 years, that kidney began to fail as well, WCVB-TV reported.
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Knowles then began dialysis, undergoing treatment up to four times a week while still continuing to work full-time at Eversource Energy in Somerville.
That’s when his friend and coworker decided to step in and help.
Knowles was looking for another kidney donor when fellow Eversource employee Ken Pefine decided find out whether he was a match.
As it turns out, he was, and from that point, his decision was clear: he would give Knowles his kidney.
“It was a no brainer for me,” Pefine said. “Matt is a good person and empowering him was important to me. He’d already been through a lot and I just really wanted to help.”
'It was a no brainer for me.' Employee donates kidney to co-worker https://t.co/EEgIwIgGaR pic.twitter.com/Q2M7xd0hxR
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) May 9, 2018
The surgery took place in January, and both of the dedicated employees are already back at work.
Knowles said it is “unbelievable” how Pefine stepped up to help him.
“It’s kind of unbelievable that a friend from work stepped up the way he did,” he told WCVB. “Doing what he did got me off dialysis at least three years early. It’s just incredible. It bonds us for life.”
Pefine said that while his life is pretty much the same as it was before the surgery, it’s satisfying to know that Knowles can go on living his.
“He can move on with his life now,” Pefine said. “My life hasn’t changed since the surgery. Once we get back to the normal grind, we’ll go out to dinner to celebrate.”
(H/T: WCVB-TV)