Bill Sakas and David Andrew following Andrew's donation of one of his kidneys to Sakas.
“During the summer of 2020 he was crabby, tired and ornery and not doing well,” his wife Jackie recalled. Sakas headed north to see a Mayo Clinic hematologist and he was quickly put on expensive prescription drugs which led a lack of sleep. He started punishing three day a week dialysis sessions that lasted as long as four hours for roughly 18 months.
“I’m fond of Bill and I saw what shape he was in, he was suffering,” Andrew said. “I know from other family members that dialysis was no way to live and it is probably not a long life.”“I actually was a match which was amazing and I was excited,” he said. “It’s a great gift to give someone the gift of life,” he said. “Now, I just have to continue to exercise and lead a healthy lifestyle.”