By Aaron Michell
For the last few years, Marion resident Nicole Sigafoose’s kidneys have been failing. Managing to get by with dialysis, her kidney functions have only gotten worse. Since September 1st, 2020, she’s been on a national kidney registry, hoping for a miracle.
And after more than two years of waiting, hoping, and praying, Nicole is finally getting her kidney.
And it wouldn’t be possible without her husband Bryan.
Through the indirect donor program with the National Kidney Registry, on September 22nd, Bryan will undergo surgery to donate his (A+) kidney to another recipient in need of a kidney. In return for his donation, Nicole will be receiving her new (B+) kidney the following day.
A miracle indeed.
“Bryan started a chain reaction,” Nicole said. “5 people will be getting a kidney because he’s decided to donate, and I’m just one of them.”
After watching his wife struggle through dialysis, and the emotions of having possible donor kidneys fall through, Bryan is happy to be helping both his wife, and his new kidney recipient.
“Everyone’s situation is different,” Bryan said. “But if someone else is going through what she’s going through – most people don’t know [what that’s like], but I know – so it makes me feel good to know that somebody is going to be getting a change like she is.”
And Nicole is feeling beyond blessed because of her husband.
“I’m getting my kidney, you’re losing yours and giving it to someone else,” she said. “You’re a hero here.”
“Without him, I wouldn’t be getting a kidney,” Nicole said. “He’s special. I can never repay him. And I don’t know if anybody knows how it feels to owe someone so much, that no matter what you do, it’s never going to be good enough to repay you for what you’ve done.”
The couple will be undergoing their kidney operations at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids. Bryan is set for surgery on the morning of Thursday, September 22, while Nicole’s surgery is scheduled for the evening of the 23rd.
Once the couple decided to enter the peer donation program, things started to happen quickly. Both Bryan and Nicole have made a number of recent trips to Grand Rapids for testing and consultations.
“Through paperwork and emails, and forms, it’s been a process,” Bryan said. “This probably could’ve happened a while ago, but at the same time, she’s had [6] people who were possible donors. We knew about the peer donation program, but I didn’t think it was going to be the next day, or the same day… I’d go in in the morning, she’d go in the afternoon. I was like, ‘Really?!’ I just thought that it would up her chance of getting a kidney [eventually]. So I was always serious about it, I knew we weren’t a match, but if that’s how that works, and I can help somebody else out, and in turn, she gets a kidney? Perfect!”
“They had us on the national kidney registry for 10 days,” Nicole said. “And they found my kidney in Pennsylvania, and his kidney will stay in Michigan.”
Due to medical confidentiality, both the donor for Nicole, and the recipient for Bryan will remain unknown until after the surgeries.
“It’s confidential until after surgery,” Nicole said. “They wait until about a month after surgery before swapping that information.”
The couple will be hospital buddies through the weekend, as it’s anticipated that Bryan will remain hospitalized for 3 to 4 days, and Nicole will be there for 4 to 5 days. They will celebrate Bryan’s birthday together on the 24th.
“We’re going to be on the same floor together, driving each other crazy,” Nicole said.
While the couple is excited for a healthy future, the financial burden on the family – Nicole and Bryan have 5 kids – is something they could use a little help with. Between medical and travel expenses, and missed work, the costs will continue to add up.
Their friends, Jenny Hoaglund and Kyme Giertz, have set up fundraisers for the family.
There will be a benefit fundraiser for the couple on October 1st, beginning at 4 PM at the Marion Eagles F.O.E. 4087. The benefit is open to all, and includes a taco bar by donation, silent auction, a Euchre tournament [starting at 7 pm] and a performance by the band 12 Years Later. For more information or to make a donation, please call Jenny at 231-633-4653.
In addition, a GoFundMe page, “Help Nicole with her kidney transplant” has been set up by Kyme, where $450 out of a goal of $5000 has currently been raised. To donate online, the direct link can be found at https://gofund.me/7b6c9dc4
When it’s all said and done, Nicole will always be grateful for her husband, and his selfless donation.
“He called me, very emotional, and asked me what I was doing on September 23rd,” she said. “My first thought was that he got me tickets to Wynonna [Judd] who was supposed to be in Grand Rapids for her final tour. And then he was like, ‘Do you want to get your new kidney?’
Even better.