A woman is donating a kidney to her sorority sister - despite them not seeing each other for 10 years.
Jess Hause, 37, was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure in September 2023 after experiencing numb knees and hands.
She was put on dialysis but was told she'd need a live kidney donation to survive.
Jess shared her story on Instagram with her friends and was amazed by how many people reached out to get tested to see if they were a match.
Her former sorority sister, Megan Schultz, 38, reached out keen to get tested but Jess was surprised when she FaceTimed her a few weeks later to tell her she was a match.
The pair met for the first time in 10 years at Megan's house - in an emotional reunion.
Jess, who works in commercial real estate, from Cincinnati, Ohio, US, said: "I thought she was calling to say 'I'm sorry, but I'm not a match'.
"I was so shocked. It was super special.
"I was speechless. It took my breath away.
"God puts people in our lives for a reason."
Megan, an attorney, from Columbus, Ohio said: "It was pretty emotional.
"She is so brave.
"I feel very happy. I'm just ready now.
"It's such an amazing gift that you can give."
Doctors first noticed Jess' kidney function was low when she was in hospital being treated for shingles.
But after losing her job and her medical insurance in April 2023 she stopped seeing the doctor regularly.
But she started experiencing worrying symptoms.
Jess said: "I noticed from my knees down I started getting numb and tingling.
"It started moving to my hands."
Jess went to the emergency room and, after tests, she was diagnosed with total kidney failure.
She said: "It was absolutely terrifying. I didn't even know what kidney failure was."
She started on dialysis which she now has for three days a week for three-and-a-half hours.
Her condition means she could hardly walk and moved back in with her parents - Paula and Gregg Hause, both 66.
Jess had to gain 30lbs to start the process to be put on the donor list.
She started looking for a donor in January 2024.
She said: "I put a story on Instagram asking if anyone was interested or knows anyone who could be.
"I started making reels of my day to day life.
"It just so happened my sorority sister, Megan, saw it.
"She reached out straight away. She said 'I don't know if this is for you, but I'm interested'."
Megan and Jess had been roommates in college but had been distant since graduating.
Jess said: "Everyone goes their own way.
"We always had a great friendship."
Megan got tested in February 2024 to see if she was a match and decided to surprise Jess when she found out she was successful in June following bloodwork and tests.
Megan said: "The hospital told me and I just started crying. It was immediate excitement."
Megan called Jess on June 13, 2024, to tell her the news and the pair were then able to reunite over the weekend.
Jess said: "It was wonderful.
"It's one of those friendships where you haven't seen each other for so long but it feels like no time at all."
Jess and Megan are set for surgery on November 12, 2024.
Jess said: "It will give me my life back, my independence back.
"It's hard being 37 and dependent on your parents."
Dialysis has already helped Jess and she is able to go for a daily five mile walk and do an hour of pilates a day.
Jess Hause, 37, was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure in September 2023 after experiencing numb knees and hands.
She was put on dialysis but was told she'd need a live kidney donation to survive.
Jess shared her story on Instagram with her friends and was amazed by how many people reached out to get tested to see if they were a match.
Her former sorority sister, Megan Schultz, 38, reached out keen to get tested but Jess was surprised when she FaceTimed her a few weeks later to tell her she was a match.
The pair met for the first time in 10 years at Megan's house - in an emotional reunion.
Jess, who works in commercial real estate, from Cincinnati, Ohio, US, said: "I thought she was calling to say 'I'm sorry, but I'm not a match'.
"I was so shocked. It was super special.
"I was speechless. It took my breath away.
"God puts people in our lives for a reason."
Megan, an attorney, from Columbus, Ohio said: "It was pretty emotional.
"She is so brave.
"I feel very happy. I'm just ready now.
"It's such an amazing gift that you can give."
Doctors first noticed Jess' kidney function was low when she was in hospital being treated for shingles.
But after losing her job and her medical insurance in April 2023 she stopped seeing the doctor regularly.
But she started experiencing worrying symptoms.
Jess said: "I noticed from my knees down I started getting numb and tingling.
"It started moving to my hands."
Jess went to the emergency room and, after tests, she was diagnosed with total kidney failure.
She said: "It was absolutely terrifying. I didn't even know what kidney failure was."
She started on dialysis which she now has for three days a week for three-and-a-half hours.
Her condition means she could hardly walk and moved back in with her parents - Paula and Gregg Hause, both 66.
Jess had to gain 30lbs to start the process to be put on the donor list.
She started looking for a donor in January 2024.
She said: "I put a story on Instagram asking if anyone was interested or knows anyone who could be.
"I started making reels of my day to day life.
"It just so happened my sorority sister, Megan, saw it.
"She reached out straight away. She said 'I don't know if this is for you, but I'm interested'."
Megan and Jess had been roommates in college but had been distant since graduating.
Jess said: "Everyone goes their own way.
"We always had a great friendship."
Megan got tested in February 2024 to see if she was a match and decided to surprise Jess when she found out she was successful in June following bloodwork and tests.
Megan said: "The hospital told me and I just started crying. It was immediate excitement."
Megan called Jess on June 13, 2024, to tell her the news and the pair were then able to reunite over the weekend.
Jess said: "It was wonderful.
"It's one of those friendships where you haven't seen each other for so long but it feels like no time at all."
Jess and Megan are set for surgery on November 12, 2024.
Jess said: "It will give me my life back, my independence back.
"It's hard being 37 and dependent on your parents."
Dialysis has already helped Jess and she is able to go for a daily five mile walk and do an hour of pilates a day.
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FunTranscript
00:00As most of you know, I was diagnosed in September with Chronic Kidney Disease, kidney failure.
00:06And I am currently looking for a kidney donor.
00:11I'm going to try this without crying.
00:18Hi!
00:20Hey!
00:21How are you doing?
00:23I'm good! I'm getting my robe all ready for bed.
00:26I have some exciting news for you!
00:29I am a match!
00:32No, Megan, you're not!
00:34Yes!
00:35And I've been through all, like, the testing and everything.
00:41Oh my God!
00:47I can't believe it!
00:49I am so excited to be able to do this for you, Jess!
00:54Oh my God, Megan!
00:56Oh, I love you so much!
00:59Megan, I love you more!
01:03Oh, I'm glad you're there! Hi!
01:07This is the checklist for all the testing I have to do to be able to be listed on the transplant list to get a transplant.
01:18So, first things first is dental.
01:21So, you just have to go to your dentist, and they give you a dental clearance form.
01:26And it's basically saying that you don't have any infection in your mouth, you don't have any root canals, any extractions, anything like that that would hinder getting a new kidney.
01:38Second on the list, I'm only 36, so I had never had a mammogram before, so I got my first mammogram.
01:46It was terrible.
01:49I don't have a chest, and I have a port.
01:54My access for dialysis is right here, so they had to work around that.
01:58It was super uncomfortable.
02:00Third on the list is pap smear, which is normal for a woman.
02:05You've had one. It sucks. It's uncomfortable.
02:07Fourth on here is the fit test, and fit test is just basically a stool sample.
02:11They give you a kit, basically, to go home and do it, and then just mail the sample back in to the hospital.
02:20So, disgusting, of course.
02:22Next thing on the list is a cardiology visit clearance, and I've had three or four cardiology visits now, just different tests they're doing.
02:33So, I just get clearance from a cardiologist saying my heart is healthy enough and strong enough to handle the stress of a transplant.
02:43Next on the list, number six, is a stress test, and I actually did that this morning.
02:48If you don't know what a stress test is, it's basically you're on a treadmill, and they watch your heart and monitor your heart.
02:58So, you go in. I went this morning. I had to be there at 7 a.m.
03:02You go in. They give you an IV, and they put a medicine in your IV to dye your veins so they can look at your heart and get better pictures of your heart.
03:14They go, and they get pictures of it, kind of like an x-ray almost, and then they take you back to the treadmill, and then they crank that sucker up and make you go as fast as you can.
03:24I had to go and get vaccinations. I had to have a pneumonia vaccine and HPV and hepatitis A.
03:32Next, I had to have a CAT scan of my abdomen and pelvis.
03:37I had had that done in Charlotte when I got diagnosed with kidney disease, so I didn't have to do that, so that was good.
03:54♪♪♪