Couple Finds Perfect Match In Love And Kidney Donation

AUBURN (CBS13) — Finding a life partner is challenging enough, but finding one that is willing to give the gift of life is even more special.

One Auburn couple found out they're the perfect match in more ways than one.

"It's kind of been a perfect balance, we are opposites but still similar with what we want to do," said Lisa Summers.

Summers found love online when the dating site E-Harmony matched her with her future husband Dan.

"With him, I was like 'I want to know more.' It was pretty easy and to this date, we never fight," she said.

The bubbly insurance broker was attracted to Dan who owns his own business. Dan says he was open about his kidney disease early on, but doctors said it likely wouldn't impact him for another 15 years. And to Lisa, it didn't matter because she had found her man.

"I should stick with you. You're organized, I am a hot mess, so let's do this!" she said.

The two married in 2016 and moved from Orange County to Auburn. They celebrated the birth of their son soon after. But by the end of last year, Dan had a health scare.

"I wasn't feeling good in November/December. I started getting winded going up and downstairs," said Dan.

Blood tests revealed he was in kidney failure, and he was immediately put on dialysis. When Lisa was tested to see if she could donate, doctors told her she was a near-perfect match.

"It was nuts," Lisa said.

"The chances are one in 100,000. And those types of donors last 20-30 years because your body can't identify it's not yours," said Dan.

The surgery took place on Aug. 22 of this year at UCSF.

"We never knew something could be so easy and yet so rewarding," Lisa said.

Dan's recovery went well and so did Lisa's.

"We're like, it's meant to be and it kinda confirmed that," Lisa said.

The couple is amazed at their compatibility emotionally and physiologically. And Dan feels lucky because there is a five to seven-year waitlist in the U.S. for kidneys.

It's a story they are happy to share now to encourage others to donate and in the future with their son.

"I hope it's a lesson to him as to what to expect from family and from a spouse when he chooses a wife," said Lisa.