- A Starbucks barista asked how her regular client was doing and learned that the client needed to begin dialysis.
- When Nicole McNeil told her husband Justin about her client Vince, Justin surprised his wife by offering his kidney.
- Justin and Vince were a close match and now Vince has a new lease on life with Justin’s kidneys after the organ transplant.
This is a story of kindness that created a large ripple enough to save a life.
Nicole McNeil has known their regular client Vince only as “Trenta Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, full pumps.” But when she noticed one day that Vince was looking glum when he came by their Starbucks in DuPoint, Washington cafe.
She went to him after her shift and asked him what was up.
Vince, an Army veteran sergeant told her that he had polycystic kidney disease for years but now he had to start dialysis treatments as his kidneys have deteriorated. He has been on the kidney transplant list and knew his chances were slim for a donated organ.
Nicole’s husband Justin was also an army veteran. When she came home that night, she told him about Vince and Justin responded by saying he has a kidney that Vince can have.
Nicole said that Justin is the kindest person she has ever met and cares about people and “So, when he said, ‘I’ll give my kidney,’ it seemed like, ‘OK, sure. Yeah, you will.’”
And that started the ball rolling for the two families to get together to know each other. The pair were so bonded, it was like Justin and Vince were brothers. And Justin could not bear seeing Vince getting sicker and so he got tested to see if they were a match.
And what a match! Doctors said that even if they were not biologically related, they were as close a match as possible.
With the two families spending Christmas day together, they scheduled the transplant operation the day after.
The pairing worked so well that the two came out of their surgeries with flying colors and Justin’s kidney is functioning well in Vince’s body. According to the doctors, Justin’s gift has given Vince additional 20 years of life.
Nicole’s act of kindness has created a ripple that has bonded two families and a man to have a new chance at life. Well done, Nicole!
Source: Inspire More
