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

Jeff Granger and Terri Herrington.
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/UF Health)

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.

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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

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.