Donate part of your liver and gain a wife. Its not your typical love story but that’s how it worked for a Marine.
26 year old Heather Krueger was diagnosed with stage 4 liver disease in March 2014. As her condition worsened, doctors said her best hope for survival was a liver transplant from a living donor. Without one, odds were, she wouldn’t live another two months.
At work one day, Heather’s cousin was talking about her dire dilemma. A coworker who overheard her stepped forward to help. Chris Dempsey, a former Marine, had never even met Heather.
But he put himself in Heather’s position and thought what it would be like to not know if you’re going to make it.
Dempsey underwent several tests to see if his liver was a match. It was.
In the weeks leading up to the procedure, the two got to know each other better. First just spending time together, then dinners and going to the movies.
In March 2015, a year after Krueger’s initial diagnosis and one week before her 26th birthday, the pair underwent tedious surgery—8 hours for him, 12 for her—resulting in 55 percent of Dempsey’s liver being transferred to Heather.
During the two-month recovery process, they fell in love and decided to marry.
During a talk on organ and tissue donation at a nearby college Heather said The support from Chris and his family are truly a miracle,” “Our special bond will be there forever.”
They were engaged in December.