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Texas man donates kidney to best friend
Christmas is known as the season of giving, and one Texas man has his best friend to thank for his generosity under trying conditions.
When Stephen Cook needed a kidney transplant, his friend Ruben Arellano stepped up and volunteered. When Areallano turned out to be a match, a transplant was performed last week.
“He gave me a gift that nobody could give me,” said Cook told KTVT. “The gift of time. The gift of life. The gift of health.”
Cook and Arellano have been friends since they were 10 years old. They met at church, attended school together and wound up in the same Air Force unit. Ten years ago, Cook told KTVT, he was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a degenerative condition where cysts grow on the kidney.
“They did tell me that eventually my kidneys would fail,” Cook told KTVT.
That happened earlier this year, and Cook was seeking a donor. He asked Arellano, who turned out to be a match.
“In the back of my head I always knew,” Arellano told KTVT. “I never had I doubt that I was going to be a match.”
By Thursday, both men had returned home and were recovering.
This is a great story about a member of our Andrews family. We're so lucky to know Ruben Arellano and have him on our...
Posted by Andrews Distributing Company on Thursday, December 22, 2016
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