PUYALLUP, Wash. — Fifteen years ago, a Puyallup man was in desperate need of a kidney donation during the holidays. He received a gracious donation from a known colleague.
Now, KING 5's Brady Wakayama sat down with the man and his donor, who were celebrating the 15th anniversary since the transplant operation.
It's an unbreakable bond, started by a Christmas miracle, that keeps on giving.
"Fifteen years of a second chance at life,” said Larry Valdez of Puyallup. “During Christmas time."
On Saturday afternoon, Larry Valdez sat next to Anne Del Vecchio. Valdez said he considers Del Vecchio his “guardian angel, that's who she is because without this woman sitting right next to me, I wouldn't be here. And her kind selflessness gift."
It's a gift that KING 5 unwrapped 15 years ago. At the time, Valdez was in desperate need of a kidney transplant.
Valdez and Del Vecchio had both worked with each other as ASL interpreters for a deaf youth program in Seattle in the 90s. After some years apart, they reconnected in the mid 2000s Valdez ran into Del Vecchio's husband at the time. He passed the message along that Valdez needed a new kidney; it was perfect timing since Del Vecchio was in the process of donating her kidney as a benevolent donor at Swedish Medical Center.
"If I'm going to give my kidney away anyway, why wouldn't I give it to someone that I know and I know that needs one and is desperate for one,” said Del Vecchio.
Since the operation, the two have continued to share many things. Not just a kidney and plenty of laughs, but they say a genuine love for each other that will last a lifetime.