A Woman Donated Her Kidney To A Stranger And Now They're Engaged

In what seems like fate, a Kentucky woman is engaged to the stranger she donated a kidney to less than a year ago.

USA Today reports that Louisville's Danny Robinson, 26, was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, a condition that causes inflammation and serious damage to the kidney, when he was 16.

The electrician spent two years on the waiting list for a transplant, and his future was looking bleak.

He said,

I was on dialysis three days a week, four hours a day.

Robinson's mother went on a Louisville radio show in January 2014 to reach out to possible donors. On the other end, Kim McIntyre, mother to 26-year-old Ashley, was listening to her talk of Robinson's need for a kidney.

McIntyre was overwhelmed by Robinson's story, especially after hearing how his father had died of cancer.

She said,

He was so young. It was devastating.

Ashley McIntyre heard the story from her mom and sent a Facebook message to the radio host the next day. Soon she was speaking to representatives from the University of Kentucky's transplant program.

After undergoing blood, urine and EKG tests, McIntyre was determined to be nearly a perfect match for Robinson.

The two arranged a meeting accompanied by some family members at a Cheesecake Factory restaurant once the transplant was confirmed.

McIntyre said,

We all clicked immediately. They told me I would always be a part of their family.

Their mutual attraction blossomed over the next month; they were texting all the time and seeing each other at fundraisers to pay for the transplants.

Dr. Malay Shah performed the two surgeries on April 17.

He said,

Everything went great. There were no real issues whatsoever.

McIntyre visited Robinson's adjacent hospital room twice afterward, and the two resumed having fun together just like before.

The recipient's family gave the donor a musical jewelry box inscribed with "Ashley, you're an angel."

Robinson and McIntyre officially became a couple after a Memorial Day barbecue and just a few months later, McIntyre was pregnant.

Their baby girl, Berkli, is expected to arrive on June 9.

Robinson took the relationship to the next level last December.

He said,

On Christmas Day, we went to my mom's and started opening gifts. I told her I'd forgotten one and pulled out a small box.

It was an engagement ring, and McIntyre accepted the proposal.

Once they are married, the couple plans on buying a home and having more children.

Robinson says he now has 10 times the energy he had before the surgery.

Citations: Woman gives stranger kidney now theyre engaged (USA Today)