Like many siblings, David and Janet didn't always see eye to eye, but today they are closer than their parents would have ever dreamed. "Our father gets tears in his eyes because he can't believe how well we get along," Janet says.

At six months of age, David developed uretheral valve blockages, blockages in his ureter that prevented his body from properly functioning. Eventually, his kidneys shut down and required a kidney transplant. His father was a match and doctors were able to perform a transplant.

However, at age 19, David's transplanted kidney failed and he began years of dialysis treatments as he waited for a new kidney to become available. Although family members, including his sister Janet, were willing to donate, no one was a match and because David's antibodies were high, he was passed over as donor organs became available.

In the meantime, David and Janet's sibling rivalries subsided and Janet, frustrated with the delay in finding David a kidney, set about doing research on her own. She had heard from a doctor at Jefferson ER when Dave was called about possible cadaver match that some centers could perform "mismatched" live donor kidney transplants. Also called "ABO-Incompatible" transplants, this technique provides another option for patients whose living donor would have been previously considered incompatible for their blood type. Luckily it was around this time that Jefferson began building a team of physicians who specialized in this area.

David and Janet met with the transplant team and learned that, with "plasmapheresis," Janet could be a donor for David. This procedure removes the antibodies that had previously made Janet an incompatible donor for David.

Without any hesitancy, Janet became a donor for David, and, having undergone pre-surgery plasmapheresis, his body accepted her kidney.

David's initial recovery was short and he was sent home a week later, but immediately was called back to the hospital because blood tests revealed that he might be rejecting the new kidney. Thankfully, the rejection episode subsided and David returned back home and 9 weeks later went back to work. Janet returned home in a few days and returned back to work in 11 weeks.

David is philosophical, and grateful, about his experiences, and especially his five-years on the kidney transplant waiting list. "I think things happen for a reason. I understood about the high antibody levels and why those kidneys passed me by. I think in the end, things turned out for the best. I really appreciate what my sister did for me."