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Day Before Kidney Transplant, She Opens Card To Discover Donor Is Actually Her Best Friend

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Doncella Liggins had been put on a waiting list for a kidney transplant. She was ecstatic when she got the news that the doctors found a match from an anonymous donor, but then a day before the big surgery one of her best friends revealed the large secret she had been hiding for months.

True friends are willing to help each other in the toughest of times. Beverly Burch just recently proved how much she was willing to do for her sorority sister and dear friend, Liggins.

Liggins could hardly believe her doctor when he told her that they had found a kidney donor. She had been battling kidney disease and knew that finding a donor could take some time.

“I said ‘WHAT?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, there’s a match.’ And I said, ‘Who?’ she told KMBC News. “He said, ‘Well, I can’t tell you. The only thing I can tell you is that they’re young and healthy.'”

The surgery was scheduled for six months later.

Burch celebrated the exciting news with her sweet friend but was also keeping a huge secret — she was the mystery donor.

She kept the news to herself because she was afraid something would go wrong.

The day before the surgery, she decided that it was finally time to surprise Liggins with the news. She carefully wrote a card and handed it to her friend.

Inside, the card read, “Looking forward to sharing this part of my ‘life’ with you! Love you – Bev. Let’s do this!!”

Liggins was moved; she couldn’t believe her friend would do that for her. “At that moment I realized who it was,” she told KMBC. “And I went, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s you! It’s you!’ And she told me she’s known since November.”

The two friends have been able to recover from their surgeries together, which has made an experience that could’ve been lonely and difficult for Liggins even sweeter.

Their story is touching the hearts of those who hear it, including the surgeon who conducted the transplant.

“This is not just a story of friendship and love, but also of heroism,” said Dr. Eddie Island of St. Luke’s Health System. “And willingness to step forward and donate part of oneself to save the life of another.”

Liggins and Burch just hope that their story encourages others to consider becoming a living donor.

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When asked if she would donate a kidney again, Burch replied that she “absolutely” would, “in a heartbeat.”

“But I really need my other kidney,” she added.

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Kayla has been a staff writer for The Western Journal since 2018.
Kayla Kunkel began writing for The Western Journal in 2018.
Birthplace
Tennessee
Honors/Awards
Lifetime Member of the Girl Scouts
Location
Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
News, Crime, Lifestyle & Human Interest




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