Would you give up one of your kidneys to save the life of a loved one?

Agnes Bartel says her husband Garth lost one kidney in 2001 to cancer and the doctors found his other kidney was only working at 57%. Bartel notes Garth was able to live a normal and active life until things took a downhill turn in April 2014 and by June of that year he was put on dialysis.

Bartel says they were thankful Garth was able to have dialysis at home, especially because of how often he had to be hooked up to the machine.

"He was doing it every four hours during the day. So, he had these bags and they would be put through, clean, and then put new stuff in. So, he could do things and then he had to be home to get this done or if we went away, we had to be back home to get this done or take it along with us."

She notes it was later changed that he would be hooked up to the machine for nine hours during the night instead of having dialysis during the day.

"Every time the machine drained, four times it changed during those nine hours, every time it did he would wake up, he couldn't sleep through it. So, he wasn't getting any sleep."

Bartel adds she found it very hard to watch her husband go through this time which is what solidified her decision to be tested to see if she was a match and a good candidate to donate a kidney. She notes they were told the wait for a kidney could take up to eight years on the transplant waiting list.

"I'll tell you they do tests from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. They do everything, I even saw a psychiatrist to make sure I wasn't coerced into it. So, it took a whole year where I was going in several times for blood tests, x-rays, MRI's, and they did everything."

She adds they also wanted to make sure she was healthy enough to undergo this kind of procedure at her age of almost 71-years.

Bartel says the surgery took place on January 19, 2017, and all went well.

"We, of course, recovered in the same room after the surgery. When I saw him after it was just amazing how he looked. He looked different, his skin wasn't pale, his skin was nice. It's a miracle and amazing how fast."

She says it took her about eight weeks to recover and about three months for Garth to get back to normal. Bartel adds her husband is still working on regulating his medications noting one complication is some of the medications are not good for his skin cancer.

"I think the biggest thing I learned was that I really like to tell people don't be afraid. If an opportunity came up that you could do this, or even going it for a stranger if you're healthy. For what I went through, how I could give my husband back his life, it's amazing."

She notes she also now encourages people to sign the donor card on their driver's license.

Bartel notes they will be married 23 years this May. She adds they already had a good marriage but this experience has strengthened their relationship even further.

She says Garth is doing well and they were able to go on a road trip out east last fall, adding at 62-years old he has a lot of life to live and being able to donate her kidney has helped him have those experiences and freedom.