Four months after donating a kidney to her Arthrex colleague Cheryl Foster, Adrienne Gossman met Cheryl's young daughter—the little girl who inspired her decision. The moment was captured in an exclusive follow-up story by Southwest Florida CBS affiliate WINK News.
Anchor Amanda Hall first covered Cheryl’s story before the transplant. At the time, Cheryl had spent more than two years on the waiting list while she battled Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a rare autoimmune kidney disease. Cheryl had managed the disease with medication and diet for over a decade.
The odds of two unrelated people being a nearly perfect kidney match are estimated at one in 100,000—even siblings have only a 50% chance. That’s what makes this story so remarkable: Adrienne and Cheryl, two Arthrex employees who had never met, turned out to be what doctors called “a nearly perfect match.” Adrienne was one of a dozen employees who volunteered to be tested when Cheryl put out a call for help on Arthrex’s internal news site.
The transplant was performed at Tampa General Hospital in July and both women made remarkable recoveries. Adrienne was home the next day, and Cheryl returned to work weeks ahead of schedule, feeling stronger and grateful for a second chance at life.
Watch WINK’s story and visit the National Kidney Registry to learn more about becoming a living donor.
