Woman donates kidney to man who received her late husband's organs 16 years ago

Twice, Jeff Granger's life has been saved by a member of the Herrington family.

In 2004, Bryan Herrington, 35, died after falling off a roof. He was an organ donor, and Granger received Bryan's pancreas and kidney. After the transplant, Granger and his wife Pam began corresponding with Bryan's widow, Terri Herrington, and her sons Drake and Payton. "Just hearing from them, and how much their life had changed, was a healing process for me and my boys in and of itself," Terri said.

Over the last 16 years, the two families have kept in touch by chatting on the phone, checking in with each other on social media, and visiting in person. In January 2019, Jeff learned that his donated kidney was starting to fail, and he would need another transplant. He thought Terri was kidding when she immediately offered to donate hers, but she was serious. "Jeff will still have Bryan's pancreas," she said. "In a way, we'd be back together again."

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Doctors conducted testing, and "we were a perfect match," Jeff said. "Just like me and Bryan were." The surgery was in March at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital, and both Jeff and Terri have fully recovered. "We aren't organ donor and transplant recipient," Terri said. "Through this connection, we've become family." Catherine Garcia