How a kidney transplant changed 3 women's lives
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- When a person gets a life-saving transplant, it becomes a moment they'll never forget. And in some cases, it creates a bond between patient and donor.
That bond is evident between three women, beginning with Maggie Beer, who was very sick when she was young.
"I knew I was different. I couldn't play sports; I was always tired," Beer said.
Diagnosed with kidney disease, Beer would need a new kidney, and fast. Her family was tested, and her dad was a match. He donated a kidney to her, and life for Beer was normal, but that only lasted seven years.
"Then I had to go through the process of dialysis and waiting for another kidney," said Beer.
She was in her 20s at this point, getting sicker and feeling alone.
"My friends traveling, going to school, starting careers and families and all I could do was sit in a chair and look out the window," said Beer.
"The kidney disease was killing Maggie but so was the inability to live her life," said Beer's aunt, Erin Phillips.
Phillips wanted to give her niece time to experience life. So in 2011, she got tested and found out she was a match.
"Here we are 13 years later. She's been able to travel, she's been working in Japan," said Phillips.
And the connection in this family continues. Beer's sister, Jennifer Carpenter, always knew she wanted to be a doctor but she didn't know for what. She says fate helped her decide.
"I think it was a higher power that was telling me to do this. Once I became receptive to that, I agree that yeah, this is where I'm supposed to be," said Carpenter, who is now the director of the Living Donor Kidney Program at Allegheny General Hospital.
It's a job Beer wasn't surprised her sister would pursue.
"She probably said, 'Oh, sure you have to do the hardest one. You always have to do everything the hardest way possible,'" said Dr. Carpenter.
Nowadays, when these three meet up at family events, how they're related takes on a whole new meaning.
"She took my left kidney, so even at family events or something, I'll be like, 'How's lefty? How's lefty doing?'" Phillips said.