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Woman was in desperate need of a new kidney. When she saw who stepped up to offer hers, her jaw dropped

Her kidneys were failing rapidly and time was of paramount importance in saving her life.
PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO
Doctor talking to a woman at a hospital. Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | MoMo Productions
Doctor talking to a woman at a hospital. Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | MoMo Productions

One unexpected act of kindness and consideration can affect multiple lives at the same time. However, a woman, Amanda McCowen and her ex-husband's current wife, Angela Maples, hadn't thought that their strained relationship as co-parents would improve because of a kidney donation. Amanda and Angela had many disagreements as they co-parented Amanda and her ex-husband, Joshua's, kids. But then Angela needed a kidney donation and Amanda turned out to be a perfect match. So she ended up surprising everyone with her decision, per Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth.

Representative Image Source: Pexels | Andrea Piacquadio
Woman lying in hospital bed. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Andrea Piacquadio)

Angela had been on dialysis for quite some time and her life depended upon finding a kidney donor. At that time, Amanda found out that she was a match. "I ended up getting a call from the care coordinator. She said, 'You're not just a match. You are a perfect match,'" she recounted. Angela had looked after her teen and her 10-year-old as a co-parent all the years she had been married to Joshua. "Like Angela mentioned, we were not best friends. We were not," Amanda pointed out. However, when Angela's hour of need arrived, she stepped in to help and decided to donate her kidney to save her life. Soon enough, the life-changing event managed to repair the bond between the two women as well.

Kindney transplant illustration depicting waitlist. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by mohd iuzzan)
Kindney transplant illustration depicting waitlist. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by mohd iuzzan)

"We've been through so many coparenting situations in the last 10 years, some of them not so great, honestly. It's hard. Co-parenting is hard. I joke that she is the tequila to my margarita," Amanda continued. "I knew it was God. There's no other way to put it. It's been a lot of healing and growth. She does her clinics and Amanda and her, they both talk to each other several times a day, just checking in on each other, from big things to small things," Joshua continued. The turn in the relationship came at the right moment, as time was of paramount importance to Angela, whose kidneys were failing rapidly.

Two women hugging each other on the street (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Tom Werner)
Two women hugging each other on the street (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Tom Werner)

"Your kidneys are completely failing. We may need to talk about other arrangements. I knew what that meant. I didn't have much time left," Angela shared. The woman's issues with her kidneys started back in 2022 when her body started showing symptoms of an autoimmune disease during a Hawaii trip. The disease was caused by a genetic condition Angela had and it caused a huge impact on her kidneys. Eventually, the woman had to be put on dialysis so she could keep going. Amanda expressed that it was a "humbling" experience to see Angela go through all of it throughout the years before she received a kidney around a month ago.

"You know she's been on 14 hours of dialysis a day. It's just the most humbling experience of my life," Amanda commented. "It opened my eyes to how there are so many things we take for granted on a daily basis." Both of them went through the operation around the same time and Angela was hoping to recover and get back on her feet soon. "The goal for me is to restore hope to the hopeless," she pointed out. Their two children believed that one of their moms had saved their other mom's life, according to the outlet's YouTube video.

More on Amplify

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Woman donates kidney to save man she went to prom with 35 years ago

Teacher 'got chills' learning school custodian needed a kidney donation—her one decision saved his life

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