The Kindness of Strangers.

When we think of donating something to a stranger in need, giving up one of our organs is usually not on the list. But Molly Clyden is different.

Clyden had watched her cousin endure the grueling physical toll of kidney disease and two transplants. She wanted to help her cousin, but their blood types weren’t a match. Standing by helplessly, Clyden made a vow to herself: If the opportunity ever arose again, she wouldn’t hesitate. She would step up for someone else.

Meanwhile, in the quiet Illinois farming community next door, 70 miles south of Chicago, Nick Bohn’s world was coming to a halt. As the third-generation owner of a restaurant, Bohn was used to being on his feet, working hard and taking care of others. But a devastating diagnosis of stage 5 renal failure changed everything. Without a living donor, Bohn faced a terrifying three-to-five-year wait on the deceased donor list.

Finding a match is difficult. The timing and the biology have to be a perfect fit. And the numbers are not in your favor. At any given time, 95,000 people are on the waiting list for a new kidney[SD1.1], with 50,000[SD2.1] added every year. Not good odds. Time goes by one minute at a time, waiting, hoping. Bohn’s family tried everything, even posting a desperate plea on Facebook.

Clyden didn’t even finish reading the post before she knew her moment had arrived. This was a chance to help somebody. A way to prevent the tragedy she had witnessed in her own family. She responded immediately, sending a message offering to help a complete stranger.

What followed was a journey of medical testing, compatibility matching and community grace. While insurance covered the major medical bills, strangers and neighbors stepped up to handle the incidentals, covering travel costs to Chicago, mowing Bohn’s lawn when he couldn’t and keeping both families in their prayers.

The surgery was a success. Today, Bohn is back on his feet, full of life and running his restaurant, spared years of dialysis thanks to a living donor. Clyden, too, is back to her everyday routine, jokingly noting that the only thing she can’t do anymore is claim she has two kidneys.

Two strangers connected by a Facebook post are now “kidney buddies for life.” And Clyden’s long-ago promise didn’t just save a life – it forged an entirely new family.

“I know I have another awesome family in my corner,” Clyden says. “I come from a big family anyway, so what’s a few more?”

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