Bride Donates Kidney To New Husband's Ex-Wife Days After Their Wedding

Family relationships are not always easy. Throw in an ex-husband or ex-wife, and you've got a whole other layer of potential disaster. While we'd all like to imagine that our families can peacefully co-exist, it's not always the case.

However, hearing heartwarming stories like the one I'm about to share with you all today might encourage us all to work a little harder at being kind to one another and remind us the true meaning of family.

10 years after their first date, Florida resident Debby Neal-Strickland married her longtime boyfriend Jim Merthe at their local perish.

Unsplash | Marc A. Sporys

Just two days after the wedding, Debby donated one of her kidneys to Mylaen Merthe, her new husband’s ex-wife.

In an unlikely but heartwarming story, Jim Merthe's current wife and former wife have been bonded for life.

Mylaen had long struggled with kidney disease. By 2020, the 59-year-old was ghostly pale and fighting to get through the day, as reported by The Chicago Tribune.

By the time Mylean was admitted to the hospital in November, her kidneys were functioning at only 8%.

After Mylean's brother's kidney wasn't a match, Debby volunteered. She told the publication part of the reason she felt compelled to donate was because she knew Mylean was about to become a grandmother.

She imagined Mylaen’s daughter giving birth, "and her mom not being there. I just couldn’t not try to change that."

Unsplash | Alex Pasarelu

"God told me, 'You’re a match and you need to do this.'"

After delays due to COVID-19, the appointment was finally set for two days after Debby and Jim's wedding. Debby was tempted to postpone, but friends encouraged the pair to go forward with the wedding, which had already been delayed due to the engagements of their own adult children.

“It was the most amazing day of my life, until two days later. That was also the most amazing day of my life,” Debby said.

As soon as she regained consciousness, Debby asked about Mylaen. A few floors below, Mylaen was also pleading with the nurses — "'I need to see her.' That was the first thing out of my mouth."

"We had our masks on too, so we’re crying, and of course our stomachs were hurting because of the incisions," she recalled. "We kinda laughed and cried."

The women now call each other "kidney sisters" and are currently planing a big family trip to Lake Rabun, Georgia, this summer.

"This is what the world is about. Family. We need to stick together,” Mylaen said. "She saved my life."

What a beautiful story!

h/t: The Chicago Tribue.