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Bay Area couple donates kidneys to 2 patients
Jennifer Epstein reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - A Bay Area couple takes selflessness to another level as they save two lives through organ donation.
Debbie and Michael Lundberg both donated kidneys to strangers.
"People ask us the reason," Debbie Lundberg stated. "There was no reason not to, but because I could."
Michael and Debbie Lundberg.
She gave the gift of life in the middle of a pandemic.
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"I don’t believe in 'let me know if I can do something'. I fully believe and live my life to 'here’s what I can and will do,’" explained Debbie Lundberg.
Debbie Lundberg in hospital after donating kidney.
The grateful recipient was Debra Palmer. Debbie Lundberg learned about Debra’s health condition on social media and planned on offering her life coaching services. But once they met for lunch, Debbie Lundberg knew she wanted to do more. So she got tested and was a match.
READ: Tampa ICU nurse gets life-saving kidney transplant from Bradenton firefighter
"People ask me if I was nervous," Debbie Lundberg shared. "I was excited and a little nervous. I was never fearful. I was never afraid because I knew that everything was going to be done well. There was no doubt."
Michael Lundberg donated a kidney to a stranger months after his wife.
Six months after Debbie Lundberg donated, her husband Michael was in the operating room at Tampa General Hospital donating his kidney to someone he too never met.
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"It really hit me when we finally met my recipient and his wife and he told us what his life was like before that. And it made me cry a little bit about what he had to go through while waiting," said Michael Lundberg. "Now he's just so happy because he and his wife and kids travel all over the place now and just have the best time. It's so wonderful to see."
The Lundbergs riding a bike.
Down to one kidney each, the Lundbergs say life hasn’t really changed. Debbie Lundberg was running, albeit slowly, 11 days after her surgery and the couple was golfing within six weeks.
READ: ‘God must have put you in my car!’: Uber driver donates kidney to passenger
The Lundbergs hope their story will inspire others to find their own way to help save a life.
"Can you donate blood? Can you be on the registry for bone marrow? Can you support someone? Can you be a caregiver?" asked Debbie Lunderberg. "Any of that will make a difference."