Retired School Bus Driver to Donate Kidney to Former Coworker

Sharon Kruse of California offers her kidney to Diane Gonzalez after learning that she had been on dialysis for over two years and was looking for a kidney and is on the transplant list.

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October 18, 2019

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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A retired school bus driver here is planning to donate her kidney to a former coworker, 23ABC News reports.

Sharon Kruse, a former bus driver for Bakersfield City School District, offered to give her kidney to Diane Gonzalez, a former and retired secretary for one of the district’s schools, after learning that she had been on dialysis for over two years and was looking for a kidney and is on the transplant list, according to the news source. Gonzalez told 23ABC News that having a live donor is the best option since the wait time for the national transplant list in California is now seven to 10 years.

Kruse and Gonzalez first met almost 30 years ago and then crossed paths again this year. After Gonzalez spent more than three years of waiting for a kidney, the two realized they had matching blood types and received confirmation from doctors that they could move forward with the transplant, the news source reports.

The two are now set to travel to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona on Wednesday where they will undergo transplant surgery, according to 23ABC News. Gonzalez told the news source that she is “so blessed and so many prayers have been answered by having Sharon come into my life.” She also said that her and Kruse will be “kidney buddies for life.”

To read the full story, go here.

Topics:California driver heroism Safety

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