Her Son-In-Law Selflessly Donated A Kidney To Her When She Needed To Undergo A Second Transplant
West Sand Lake, New York. A woman who has been suffering from a rare kidney disease needed a second kidney transplant after her first one failed 13 years later. Her new donor ended up being her son-in-law.
Robin Pinto has been battling the rare kidney disease called IgA nephropathy for 15 years. “My body thinks my kidneys are foreign and need to be destroyed,” Robin said.
Robin’s husband John knew from the moment the couple found out Robin was sick that he would be her donor. After the first procedure, Robin and her family were convinced that she had received her “forever kidney.”
But unfortunately, that was not the case. “Life had other plans,” Robin pointed out.
Robin entered stage 4 renal failure and was told she would need another transplant, just shy of 13 years after her first one.
Doctors encouraged Robin to reach out to friends and family to see if anyone would not only be a match but willing to give her their kidney.
“This news was utterly devastating to me initially,” Robin revealed.
After receiving several offers from family and friends, one person, in particular, was determined to help her. Her son-in-law, Sean Martin. Similar to her husband John, Robin claims that Sean knew he was meant to be her donor.
GoFundMe; pictured above are Robin and Sean
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“There are simply not enough words in the English language to describe the extent of my love and gratitude to Sean for stepping into this role as ‘superhero’ and saving my life,” Robin explained. “It is the most selfless act one can do in life.”
Thanks to Sean and his brave act, Robin says she’ll have more time to continue to take on all of her roles as a wife, daughter, mother, friend, and ‘Nana’ to her grandchildren.
The procedure took place earlier this month, and it was a success. “Sean’s kidney began working beautifully, and all of my numbers indicate a perfect match!” Robin shared.
Today, the pair is safely recovering. However, the recovery comes with its own set of challenges.
Although Sean’s medical expenses will be covered, he needs to miss 4 to 8 weeks of work while he recovers.
Additionally, the family has had to spend a lot of money to travel to New York City, where the surgery took place.
Robin has created a GoFundMe page for Sean, her daughter, and their one-year-old, as they are a single-income household with Sean being the sole earner.
“Saving a life should never be about money, but unfortunately it is,” Robin wrote. “Donating a kidney to someone is so much more than a surgical procedure, it is quite literally giving someone the gift of life!”
You can read more about Robin and Sean here.
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