The gift of life
<p>Doug Ransdell and his wife of 20 years, Mary Ransdell, lives changed when Doug suffered from an aortic dissection causing his kidneys to fail. On Aug. 5, 2014, Doug received a kidney donation from his daughter’s best friend which saved his life. “Words cannot describe how to thank someone for that,” Doug said. Doug and Mary celebrated the six month anniversary of his surgery on Thursday Feb. 5. 2015. "I wouldn't have made it without Mary,” Doug said.</p>
<p>Samantha Denton, who is the best friend of the daughter of Doug Ramsell, was a kidney donor to Ramsell, right.</p>
HAYDEN - When Samantha Denton learned that her best friend's father was in dire need of a kidney, she jumped at the chance to see if she was a match.
The 34-year-old said her desire to save Hayden's Doug Ransdell stemmed from personal experiences.
"I lost my father in 2002 to liver cancer and my step-father died three years ago due to renal failure, so I know what it feels like to lose a father," said Denton, who barely knew Ransdell when she volunteered to see if she was a match.
"I still miss my father every day and I didn't want her to go through that."
Denton and Ransdell learned they were a match on Christmas Eve in 2013. This month they are celebrating the six-month anniversary of the transplant, which took place at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.
Ransdell gets choked up when talking about his roller-coaster ride and the breakthrough with Denton that saved his life.
"Words can't describe how I feel," said Ransdell, fighting back tears. "We talk a lot and I tell her thank you all the time, but it just doesn't feel like enough. It was an unbelievable act of unsolicited kindness."
Mary Ransdell, Doug's wife, added: "She's family. If she ever needs anything, we'll be here for her."
Denton lives in Burlington, Ky., near Ransdell's daughter, Lindsey Parece, and said she never feared the unknowns. Even after the unlikely odds of being a match turned into reality, Denton never looked back.
"Lindsey didn't ask me (to see if there's a kidney match)," Denton said. "It was a polite conversation between two friends about how scared she was to lose him. For me losing my father, I've felt that pain. I knew what was at stake."
Even with two sons of her own, Denton remained steadfast in her desire to save Ransdell.
"I want my kids to know that you should always help people if you can - no matter what," Denton said. "If I ever need help, hopefully somebody would pay it forward like I did. I have faith in something much bigger that I didn't worry about it."
As a living donor, Denton would be placed at the top of the list to receive a kidney donation if she needed one.
Ransdell, 54, thought he had a heart attack while living in Carlin Bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene in April 2011. After being air-lifted to a hospital, he learned that he was suffering from polycystic kidney disease and needed to be on dialysis.
"A year into it, I started to get into a fog," Ransdell said. "My memory started to fade. My health and stamina declined. It got to where it was even hard for me to get out of the chair and cross the street. I was getting to the end of my rope mentally and physically."
Mary said Doug's condition required that he receive a transplant from a live donor.
"He only had 12 percent functionality at one time," she said.
An army of supporters rallied for the cause.
Neighbors of the Ransdells raised $15,000 to help Denton with expenses associated with the transplant and prepared their home to be put on the market. Friends at Lake City Community Church, Doug's employer, the H2E electrical engineering firm in Liberty Lake, and Mary's employer, Design Events, also assisted the couple.
A year ago, the Ransdells sold their Carlin Bay home, moved into an apartment temporarily, and landed at a home in Hayden in November that requires less upkeep than the lake residence.
"We did all the things that you're not supposed to in one year," Doug said.
He called Aug. 4, 2014 - the date of the transplant - "God's miracle."
"A friend asked me what I learned from this, and I told him that my faith is strong," Doug said. "I don't fear death."
He said his medical care providers were incredible and elevated his appreciation for medicine, but he couldn't have gone through the ordeal without Mary.
"I would have never made it without her," he said.
Doug said he hopes to return to work within six months. Each day, he's thankful for a second chance at life.
A blood clot and pneumonia delayed Denton's recovery, but she has returned to her job as a medical research assistant in Cincinnati. She'll return to Spokane later this month for her six-month checkup.
While Denton and Parece have been close friends for several years, Denton said new bonds have been formed.
"I consider them my second family," Denton said.