'It's a joy': Pastor to receive life-saving kidney donation from fellow pastor
A pastor from Nebraska said he's finally feeling some relief after years of health-related obstacles.
That's because he's now set to receive a life-saving kidney transplant after six months on the waiting list. He says it's all thanks to some divine intervention.
Pastor Walter Hooker addressed his congregation at Bellevue Christian Center last Sunday, as he always does. But this time, with personal news.
It comes after a kidney disease diagnosis and a December 2020 fight with COVID-19.
"They told me that my options were kidney transplant and or dialysis," said Pastor Hooker.
He was put on the transplant list in November of 2021.
Doctors said it could be years.
More than 15 people he knew went through testing to see if they could be a donor, but no matches.
He talked it over with a friend, fellow Pastor Andy Kaup.
"So I asked him what was his blood type, and he said O positive. We just started laughing, not thinking anything about it because I mean, it's no way he and I were gonna match," Hooker said.
It would take a lot more than just a blood match to be his donor.
But then, he was found a donor.
"No words," Hooker said.
"It really just kept coming back to, if we can help we want to," Kaup said.
Kaup says he talked over the decision to donate with his family. He says they all knew what he needed to do.
"You see what they're going through and yet they're choosing to trust. It makes it a little bit easier for you to go OK. We can do the same thing we can trust," Kaup said.
Now they'll hold onto trust as they walk through this journey together, with the surgery scheduled for Aug. 2.
"To be able to just do that for him... It's a joy. So love, love, love Hook. Love that man and his family," Kaup said.
"I love Andy Kaup.... Yep... Love Andy Kaup," Hooker said.
They say the perfect and unexpected match, is all thanks to God.
