It is clear that not all divorces end up with a couple hating and recriminating things. And this story proves it.
Kelly and Dan have been divorced for five years, but he needed a kidney and his ex-wife donated it to him: "I gave it to my daughters' father and the best friend I've had since I was 11 years old."
This is how this English mother explains her selfless gesture. Without a doubt, a good example of family harmony.
Friends forever
Kelly Hope and Dan Pyatt met at age 11, started dating at age 18 and married 13 years later.
Shortly after becoming a marriage, Kelly explains to the English newspaper Mirror that her ex-husband, who is now 44, began to feel "Always tired and had flu-like symptoms and headaches, but he is a London taxi driver, so at first we blame him for overwork."
Before a year of marriage, a biopsy at the Guy Hospital in London confirmed that he suffered an IgA nephropathy in both kidneys, an accumulation of proteins that inflames and damages the tissue.
The couple was told that there was no cure, and Dan was prescribed a medication to protect his kidneys and indicated changes in his diet and lifestyle.
It was ten years later, when he was confirmed that he had worsened and that he needed a new kidney.
In Babies and more Take the difficult decision to separate when you have children: how to know if it is the best and when is the timeKelly explains that by then her marriage was already broken:
"There was no one else involved, we just didn't get along, although we tried. But the atmosphere at home was horrible. It wasn't healthy for the children, so we decided it would be better to separate."
Still, the mother stayed at the family home in Bromley, in south-east London, with her daughters Billie and Jeanie (who are now 16 and 11 years old), and Dan moved to a nearby apartment.
They say they were not determined not to lose the friendship they had had since childhood so:
"There were many times when it was very difficult, but we have been such good friends for so long that we had to talk about our differences and find a way to make it work."
A United family
After her divorce, Kelly continued to accompany Dan on dialysis three days a week, six hours a day, which according to her ex-wife "It greatly affected his relationship with the girls."
"There was no quality time and it was very hard to see him so sick. The doctors began to propose to Dan a kidney transplant, but it was not one of those who told his loved ones how serious he was."
A year after entering the list of donors they had not yet received a call, Kelly explains: "By then it was deteriorating a lot and I realized what I had to do. He never asked me to."
Initial tests showed that Kelly was not fully compatible, but time was running out and, after considering the risks, they decided to perform a blood-incompatible transplant. It consists of extracting antibodies from the blood to avoid rejection.
"We were very sincere with our daughters, so they wouldn't be scared if everything was not going well and they were with us at the Guy Hospital in London, where the operation was carried out."
The operation was a success, and Dan was discharged five days later. That was a year ago and the difference was palpable from the start.
They have spent a merry Christmas with their daughters as a family, now 16 and 11 years old, and this summer they have enjoyed a holiday together in France.
In Babies and more Seven reasons why we should not talk badly about the former partner with our childrenKelly, 43, explains that, although everyone bets because they will be together again after what they have gone through, she insists that "He has approached us in a different way."
Even at the hospital they were surprised with Kelly's offer, because "They had never had a donor ex-partner", but Kelly explains:
"The relationship of each one is different. When we separated we could save the best parts of our relationship and rebuild from there."And he adds that "We may not be married now, but we are still a family and I had to make that sacrifice to keep it together."
As for Dan, he is still overwhelmed by the extraordinary gesture of his ex-wife.
"It was really a selfless act, putting your own life at stake to help someone is amazing. Kelly will always be my hero."
Via and photo | Mirror
