It’s so heart-warming to see people giving back the kindness given to them, even in small ways. Be it food given to the hungry, cash given to the desperate, or a shoulder to cry on for the broken-hearted. These are fairly easy to reciprocate. Organ donation is another matter; there are even some family and friends who might be hesitant to donate to one who badly needs it. This man donated his liver to a woman he didn’t know and the payback wasn’t expected…she ended up being his wife!
In a report from The Washington Post, Former Marine Christopher Dempsey was on his lunch break at work when he heard talk about a lady desperately needing a live liver donor. Heather Krueger was just 27 years old and Christopher’s heart went out to her.
He was so eager to help this young lady that he left work immediately and made an appointment for a test. Fortunately, his liver was a match to hers. Heather was already on Stage 4 and her chance for survival is very slim. The donated liver made all the difference.
“I just thought to myself, I would want someone to help me or my family in that situation,” he said.
“My mom was kind of nervous at first for me. Some people didn’t understand why I would do this for a stranger, but as time went on, people changed their tune and thought it was a cool thing I was doing.”
While they were talking about the donation and raising funds for the procedure, Christopher and Heather started to develop feelings for each other.
He was hesitant, though. He didn’t want Heather to love him out of obligation.
“It was kind of like, we do have this special bond, but is this just because I’m sick that I’m feeling this way? You had to kind of separate that, but after the surgery, I realized it went beyond that,” Heather said.
The operation was successful and nine months after he donated his liver, Christopher proposed to Heather.
“I would never have thought in a million years when I agreed to all this that I would marry her. It is amazing.”
Watch the video of this beautiful love story!