ED HJERPE (left) is especially thankful this holiday season as his brother Ed (right) gave him the lifesaving gift of a kidney in November. WARREN DILLAWAY
Thankful to be alive
Kingsville man donates kidney to older brother
By WARREN DILLAWAY - Staff Writer Star Beacon
“We were both just so relieved. We were just excited,” Tom said of their feelings when the final go-ahead was given.
Both brothers said they believe God’s timing was critical in the process and want to give him all the glory.
“We had probably thousands of people praying for us. It was just such a sense of peace,” Ed said of his mood going into surgery.
The brothers said they were both at peace with the surgery, which came off without a hitch.
“I will never be able to thank him enough. I just love him,” Ed said.
“I’m just thankful I was able to do it,” Tom said.
The first three to six months are critical to see how the body is going to respond to a new organ but so far, so good, Ed said. He said his test results are positive and he is able eat foods that have been out of bounds for a long time.
Ed’s wife, Karen, said the surgery day was really rough.
“I was excited but scared to death,” she said.
“What does ‘thank you’ mean? It is just a tiny little word,” Karen said of the inadequate nature of how to show her gratitude to Tom.
“We are going to have a great Thanksgiving, and it’s going into a great Thanksgiving year,” Karen said.
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