A Match Made in Georgia

By PKD Foundation Staff

When Michelle Sapp decided to donate a kidney to PKD patient Greg Carscallen, it wasn’t because the two were family, close friends or even co-workers.

In fact, Michelle and Greg had never met.

But Michelle, a deeply religious 33-year-old from Dunwoody, GA, was determined to donate a kidney to someone in need. That someone turned out to be Greg, a 45-year-old father of two and longtime PKD Foundation supporter, who lived just a few miles away in Chamblee, GA.

“I had been praying for this for two years,” Michelle said. “I believed that that was my purpose in life, and God just happened to answer my prayers.”

The two connected when Michelle met Greg’s wife, Beth, through work. When Beth mentioned that her husband had a life-threatening kidney disease and might need a kidney transplant someday, Michelle offered to become the donor.

Beth was stunned. Michelle was ecstatic.

“I knew it was meant to be,” Michelle said.

Over the next few months, Michelle underwent extensive testing to make sure she would be a good “match” for Greg, who had yet to find a potential donor in his family. All three of Greg’s siblings have PKD, as does his father.

When tests showed Michelle was a qualified donor, the two met for the first time over dinner at the Carscallen home. That’s when Michelle and her husband Chris learned Greg had PKD.

“Obviously, she was driven by the Lord to give up a kidney to a perfect stranger,” Greg said. “I was just lucky to be the one she ran into.”

Michelle and Greg’s transplant surgeries took place on June 24, 2005. The night before, Michelle said she felt calm, at peace. But her family was nervous, and, when asked why should risk her own health for a stranger’s, Michelle was quick to respond:

“Put yourself in Greg’s shoes or his wife’s shoes. No one in his family could donate and he had to go outside his family. You would hope that a stranger would have it in their heart to donate.”

“There is so much greater purpose here in life,” Michelle added. “I really believe it’s about impacting people’s lives. That’s what it was all about for me, to be able to give back someone’s life. For me, that is an amazing thing to do.”

Although the first few days were a little rough for Michelle and Greg, both have recovered and returned to full lives.

Because of the transplant and Michelle’s miraculous gift Greg never had to depend on dialysis or miss time at work. He’s now back to playing and winning racquetball matches and has plenty of energy to spend with his two teenage children.

“I’m feeling better now than I have in 20 years,” he said.

Michelle, too, is feeling good. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.

“I totally believe in paying it forward,” she said. “Because of what I’ve done to save this man’s life, he can enjoy his family and his health.”

In addition to helping Greg and his family, Michelle has also reached out to the PKD community. She recently took part in the Walk for PKD, as did Greg, who has been a regular contributor to the PKD Foundation since 1994.