Jeremiah Martinez and Valarie DeBoard

Kidney Transplant Date:
November 29, 2000
Donor: Jeremiah's fiancée, Valarie DeBoard
Age at Transplant: 26
Home: Fresno, California

The following is an online story about Jeremiah and Valarie that was published in conjunction with a three-part television segment on their transplant experience. The segment aired on KGO-TV (ABC) in San Francisco.

Married By More Than Rings
One couple finds that they're a perfect match — literally.

Nov. 28 — There are very few gifts that can compare to what one woman plans to give to her fiancé Wednesday morning at California Pacific Medical Center. Valarie DeBoard will give her soon to be husband the priceless gift of life.

Tuesday night should be the last time Jeremiah Martinez sits next to a dialysis machine.

Martinez has a rare kidney disease and has been undergoing dialysis three times a week for the past three years.

"It's very hard. It's hard to get things accomplished that you need to do, just for yourself or for your family. It's impossible to do. You're always behind, always," Jeremiah says.

Valarie explains, "He's drained and he doesn't have the energy to do anything. So, it's kind of hard to do anything."

But soon, things should be a lot easier.

Wednesday, Martinez is undergoing a kidney transplant. The donor? His fiancéé.

Valarie says, "I called to find out my blood type and stuff before I even told him. He didn't know anything about it."

To both their surprise, DeBoard was a perfect match.

Dr. Steven Katznelson, a kidney transplant specialist, says that in the mid-90s, studies found kidney transplants between unrelated individuals had high success rates. Between spouses, even higher.

"Taking one's medications, following up with all clinic visits is critical to transplant success and if you have someone on the other side of the bed nudging you towards being compliant with any of those issues, you're doing pretty well," Dr. Katznelson says.

Without a living donor like DeBoard, Martinez would have to wait anywhere from three to five years for a kidney.

Martinez says he can't express in words his gratitude, "I thought it was too good to be true, but it's happening now. It's all coming together toward the end."

The overall survival rate of living donor kidney transplants is 90 percent. And because Martinez is young and healthy doctors expect he will lead a normal life.