Retired officer is perfect living kidney donor match for former beat partner

ROCKVILLE, Md. (FOX 13/WTOP) - A former beat partner of a Maryland man has offered him a lifesaving gift. 

Stan Barsch and Megan Ambrose are retired Montgomery County officers. Barsch has been battling polycystic kidney disease, also known as PKD. It’s described as a genetic disease where cysts grow in the kidneys, according to the National Kidney Foundation.It’s also the fourth leading cause of kidney failure.

In January, Barsch posted on social media about his need for a transplant. His former beat partner, Ambrose, answered the call and got tested. It turned out she was a perfect match to provide one of her kidneys. 

On Valentine’s Day, which is also National Donor Day, she gave Barsch the good news in the shape of homemade card. On the front it read, “So I heard urine need of a kidney…” Inside it said, “Want mine?”

The card also said, “You always had my back on the road and off. Now you can have my kidney.”

Video of the moment was posted on Barsch’s Facebook page. He said the surgery is scheduled for May 14.

“I knew her blood matched, but I had no idea that she was a 100 percent match. It’s unheard of for someone other than a sibling,” Barsch said to WTOP. “It is amazing and no doubt godsend.”

He said he also wants to highlight the importance of living donors. “They hold a gift,” he said.

For more information on becoming a donor, head over to the National Kidney Foundation’s website.