A Minnesota woman has decided to gift her own kidney to a voluntary firefighter after he played an instrumental part in saving her young daughter’s life.
Two years ago, Becca Bundy experienced every parents’ worst nightmare when she discovered her one-year-old daughter having a life-threatening seizure. After calling in emergency services, the first person to reach the scene was volunteer firefighter Bill Cox.
“I got there and helped settle people down until an ambulance could get there and take care of her,” he told CNN. Two years later, the pair met again at a benefit event held at a local bar where Cox had worked for some sixteen years.
Exchanging conversation, Becca couldn’t help but notice that the firefighter was sporting a teeshirt with some ominous words emblazoned across the front: “My Name is Bill. I’m in end stage KIDNEY FAILURE And in need of a KIDNEY.”
After a brief chat, the mother realized that she was an eligible donor due to the pair having matching bloody types. “This is what started the journey. I remember telling Bill throughout my testing at one point that I knew I was the one,” she told CNN.
Having been born with only one kidney Bill had become progressively sicker as the remaining organ had started to fail, meaning that he required extensive dialysis treatment — he was now in grave danger and required a life-saving transplant as soon as possible.
Despite several others offering to donate a kidney, it became clear that Becca was the only adequate match. “She was a perfect match for me,” Brian explained.
Without hesitation, Becca made the brave decision to donate her previous kidney to the man who had helped save the life of her daughter just a couple of years prior. “I can remember us both crying — tears of joy of course — and Bill thanking me,” Bundy told the outlet.
Now, with the transplant successfully completed, Cox is back to working on the frontlines as a first responder. “He has great energy level, he’s back to woodcarving and being a voluntary firefighter and a first responder,” explained his doctor, Raja Kandaswamy.
Following the emotional ordeal, Bundy said that the pair keep in touch on a regular basis. “We continue to speak on a regular basis and do our best to get together as often as we can,” she said.
Now, drawings by Bundy’s children cover Cox’s refrigerator — a particluarly speical thing for he and his wife as the pair have no grandchildren.
“I feel pretty blessed to be chosen to be on his journey with him,” Bundy added to WUSA-9. “It is that lifetime bond that will never go away.”
“She’s my angel,” Cox added. “She saved my life.”