(KTLA) – It’s important to have a reliable group of friends in your life, but not all friends are created equal. Some go above and beyond the normal expectations of friendship and in the process become more like family.
That’s exactly the case for a California couple named Chris and Ron Morales.
Ron, in kidney failure, needed a transplant, and best friend Brad Thompson stepped up.
“He needed it, and I had an extra is basically the reason,” Brad said.
Seven years ago, Chris was in the same situation, and who stepped up for her?
Her best friend Debbie, who happens to be Brad’s wife. The two women have been friends since the third grade, and Debbie said she didn’t think twice when Chris was in need.
“Now we call each other kidney sisters,” Debbie said.
“Both of our journeys are different, but at the end of the journey, we both received the beautiful gift of a kidney,” Chris said.
After a short recovery stint at Cedars-Sinai in Beverly Hills, Brad was released from the hospital Sunday morning.
Ron is still hospitalized, but he is expected to make a full recovery and be released soon. Chris told Nexstar’s KTLA that he felt better when he woke up, “like night and day.”
“I am so thankful, grateful that they did this for me, and I want to thank the whole family because it’s a team effort,” Ron said.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, there are 100,000 people currently waiting for a kidney transplant. Twelve people die every day while they wait for the life-saving procedure.
You can find more information about kidney donations here.
