Family Pays It Forward To Kidney Donor

Family Pays It Forward To Kidney Donor

POSTED: 4:34 pm MST October 9, 2009

PHOENIX -- A simple phone call started a chain of events that ended up saving a life in March.

Manon Rainbolt had called her local vitamin store to pick up some items, and the associate invited her to come down.

"I called up and said, 'Hey, I'm looking for such and such - can I come in?'" Rainbolt recalled.

Pam Schultz, the associate, remembers saying, "Okay … where have you been?"

The two hadn't talked in six months, so as they caught up with the events in each other's lives, Rainbolt mentioned that her son, who was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, had just received a kidney from his wife.

Unfortunately, Rainbolt's daughter Risa was diagnosed with the same rare disease -- one that has no treatment and no cure -- but was unable to find a donor.

"She's choking up, talking about her daughter's life … and it was like, 'I'll give her a kidney!'" Schultz said. "That was exactly what popped out of my mouth and she's like, 'What did you just say?'"

"I said, 'Well, it's a little more complicated, honey,'" Rainbolt recalled. Her daughter has type-O blood, which is difficult to find a donor for.

Schultz shares the same blood type.

According to Schultz, being a mother was part of the reason why she offered.

After a series of tests, doctors determined that Schultz and Risa Rainbolt were a match.

"She is just an amazing, amazing human being," Risa Rainbolt said.

Risa Rainbolt asked to pay it forward to Schultz. CBS 5 News gave her $500 to give to Schultz at the store where it all began.

"You never looked back -- you offered to give me your kidney," Rainbolt told Schultz at the reunion. "You've changed my life!"

Said Pam, "It's been something I've never regretted -- never, ever had second doubts about."

Rainbolt said Schultz is the person who inspired her Web site, KidneyKinships.org, which encourages people to become living donors to the more than 86,000 people waiting for a kidney transplant.

"Right now, I just can't get enough oxygen of giving back!" Rainbolt said.

She uses the Web site for "educating other people, increasing awareness (and) telling people what Pam is doing for (her)."

"I actually didn't know you could donate while you were alive," Schultz said.

"It doesn't take an act of courage -- it just has to be willing to step out of that comfort zone and just do it!" she said.

Schultz took the money and gave her sisters $100 each, telling them to pay it forward to someone.

One of the sisters has already signed up to be an organ donor, and another is considering it, Schultz said.

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