Divorce can be difficult, even damaging, for many families — but not all. Case in point is a Minnesota couple who have known each other for nearly 50 years since high school. After 22 years of marriage, they’ve spent the past two decades as an amicably divorced couple who have made a conscious decision to “get along” for the good of the family.
And even 20 years after their split, Mary Ziegler had no problem donating one of her kidneys to her ex-husband, Bill Heinrichs, the St. Cloud Times reported.
Friendly split
“We kind of made a commitment at the time to get along,” explained Heinrichs of the divorce. “And to not do anything poorly to each other and to the kids. You know all those bad divorce things, we agreed not to do that.”
Following the divorce, both remarried, but stayed close as they joined forces in raising their children, so much so that they all came together for Thanksgiving to celebrate the kidney donation.
“I mean, our kids have always been really proud to tell the story of their mom and dad and their stepmom and dad. But now, I think they were really proud to say, yeah, my mom gave my dad a kidney, and they’re divorced,” said Zeigler.
A donor match
Heinrichs had dealt for some time with kidney failure brought on by diabetes and hypertension, and a search was conducted for a suitable donor to give Heinrichs a healthy kidney.
More than 30 people volunteered, including Heinrichs’ children, and though a couple of matches were discovered, those people were either too young or not healthy enough themselves to make the donation.
It came down to Zeigler, who had maintained good health and fitness her whole life, shared the same blood type and antigens as her ex-husband, and was willing to sacrifice to help save him.
“The universe was just kind of like, you’re the one. I’m a big believer in when you’re tapped on the shoulder, you should answer the call,” she said.
An ex-wife donating a kidney to her ex-husband may sound like a rather unique situation, but Ziegler said the doctors told her that such exchanges are actually more common than some might expect.
“One of the surgeons that I talked to, he said, it’s more common than you think, especially when they’re older like us. And for the same reasons. You share children. You share grandchildren. You’re 60 years old and (know) what’s important in life now. It’s not all the crap that happened before. It’s about the rest of your life,” said Zeigler.
[show_poll poll_id=1068]
“I don’t think what I did was too amazing,” Ziegler said, adding that it would have been more difficult to donate “altruistically” to a stranger. “I was thrilled to be able to do it. To do it for, not just him, but for my kids and for Linda, everybody. So, I’m pretty grateful that I did take good care of myself all my life.”
As for Heinrichs, he is still recovering from the addition of a third kidney to compensate for his two bad kidneys, though he is steadily improving and has made a new commitment to better manage his diabetes going forward.
1,130 Responses
Great article! We are linking to this great article on our website. Keep up the great writing.
I just want to say I am all new to blogging and honestly loved you’re website. Likely I’m planning to bookmark your site . You really come with wonderful posts. Thanks a lot for revealing your blog site.
I have to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in penning this site. I am hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts by you in the future as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own, personal blog now 😉
I’m pretty pleased to discover this great site. I need to to thank you for ones time just for this fantastic read!! I definitely liked every part of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to check out new information on your web site.
I blog quite often and I genuinely thank you for your information. Your article has truly peaked my interest. I’m going to book mark your blog and keep checking for new details about once per week. I opted in for your Feed as well.
I need to to thank you for this great read!! I certainly enjoyed every bit of it. I have you bookmarked to check out new things you post…
I just want to say I am very new to blogging and site-building and really savored your page. Very likely I’m want to bookmark your blog . You really come with remarkable articles. Regards for sharing your web site.
This blog was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Kudos!
You ought to take part in a contest for one of the greatest websites online. I am going to recommend this blog!
I like reading through a post that will make men and women think. Also, thank you for allowing me to comment!
I love it whenever people come together and share views. Great website, continue the good work!
I really like looking through an article that will make men and women think. Also, thank you for permitting me to comment!
Having read this I thought it was rather enlightening. I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this information together. I once again find myself spending way too much time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Exceptionally well written!
Hi there, I think your website could be having web browser compatibility issues. When I take a look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in IE, it has some overlapping issues. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Besides that, fantastic site!
bookmarked!!, I really like your blog!
When I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. Is there a way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!
This is a topic that’s close to my heart… Cheers! Exactly where are your contact details though?
Having read this I thought it was really informative. I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this content together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!
Hi, i think that i saw you visited my weblog so i came to “return the favor”.I’m attempting to find things to enhance my web site!I suppose its ok to use some of your ideas!!|
Woah! I’m really digging the template/theme of this site. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s hard to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and visual appearance. I must say you’ve done a very good job with this. In addition, the blog loads super fast for me on Opera. Outstanding Blog!|
It’s very trouble-free to find out any matter on net as compared to books, as I found this article at this web page.
I always spent my half an hour to read this blog’s articles everyday along with a cup of coffee.|
993906 883526Sweet site , super pattern , rattling clean and use friendly . 875082
hello!,I like your writing so a lot! proportion we keep up a correspondence more approximately your article on AOL? I need an expert on this space to solve my problem. Maybe that is you! Having a look ahead to look you. |
Shop; Unique Functions. Simple Product Layouts. Post with review. Advanced Product Layout. Best conversion pages. Frontend Search · Listing example …
Welcome to iBeautys Best, iBeautys Best is the number one destination for Latest Beauty Products. Here you can easily buy your desired product from all over the world with very reasonable price.
If you want to improve your knowledge simply keep visiting this web site and be updated with the most recent information posted here.|
David-Home Northeast is your premier source for all of your Real Estate investing needs. We provide a variety of solutions for sellers looking to sell fast and investors looking to grow their real estate investment portfolios for better returns. At David-Home Northeast, we are dedicated to improving and redeveloping the areas that we operate in. We specialize in helping sellers of distressed properties (single and multi-family homes, commercial, retail, bank REOs, etc.) find buyers looking to invest. Let us put our network of cash home buyers and private money lenders to work for you so you can say “David” to that old unwanted property.
Natural Releaf CBD | New York CBD Store with locations in Murray Hill, NY | Upper East Side, NY | White Plains, NY Serving New York City, NY and Westchester, NY High Quality CBD Products With Lab Test
What are some remedies for opiate withdrawal
Best view i have ever seen !
Love watching sunset !
Love watching sunset !
If you would like to increase your know-how just keep visiting this website and be updated with the latest news update posted here.|
Second thoughts are best.
Thank you so much for giving everyone an exceptionally wonderful opportunity to read articles and blog posts from this blog. It is always so terrific and as well , packed with fun for me personally and my office colleagues to search your site not less than thrice a week to find out the fresh guides you will have. And lastly, I’m so always astounded concerning the outstanding guidelines you serve. Certain 1 areas in this article are undoubtedly the most suitable we have all had.
844330 839302A truly exciting examine, I may possibly possibly not concur entirely, but you do make some actually legitimate points. 673505
This design is spectacular! You most certainly know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Fantastic job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
winoutt