TWIN FALLS, IDAHO – When Jamie Howard knocked on Paul Sucher’s door six months ago, he was trying to sell him a new vacuum cleaner. He ended up giving him one of his kidneys.
The chance encounter with Howard, a salesman for the Kirby Co., led to transplant surgery at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver in August. Now, the color is returning to Sucher’s cheeks and he is recovering.
Sucher, 35, suffered kidney failure three years ago because of high blood pressure. When Howard, also 35, came by on a sales call, he learned Sucher couldn’t afford a new vacuum because of the illness. He also learned Sucher had O-positive blood – the same as his.
“I went outside, prayed about it, called my dad and my wife,” Howard recalls. “(Donation) was something I was called to do.”
The Associated Press
