Successful operation

Dan and Kelly have two daughters, Jeanie (11) and Billie (16), and Kelly said that she was willing to donate one of her kidneys for their sake.

“Even though we weren’t together anymore, I wasn’t prepared to let my children be without a father,” she told reporter Dawn Collinson of The Mirror

The hospital had been searching for a kidney for Dan for 12 months, and hadn’t found a compatible donor. Kelly, however, after undergoing the necessary tests, showed some hope of being a successful donor, even though their blood types were incompatible.

In 2018, Dan and Kelly underwent their respective operations. The surgery was a success, and both are currently in good health.

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Keeping the family united

Kelly explains, “We might not be married now, but we’re still very much a family and I had to make that sacrifice to keep our family together.”

Kelly and Dan had been friends since they were 11 years old; they started dating at the age of 18, and married at 31. Despite their breakup, they’re still friends today.

Kelly had been aware of Dan’s medical situation for a long time because shortly after they were married he was diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease. The doctors warned at that point that within 10 years he was going to need a transplant to save his life.

A family Christmas trip

Over the years, Dan and Kelly drifted apart due to a variety of factors, including work schedules and personal priorities, and the situation at home became unhealthy for all of them, including the children, which led the couple to think that the best thing was to separate.

The kidney transplant has strengthened their bond. They also continue to believe that the most important thing for them is the happiness and stability of their daughters. In that light, they celebrated the success of Dan’s transplant by taking a family vacation with their daughters to Paris for Christmas. “Everyone says to us, ‘Surely you’ll get back together now?’ But it’s brought us closer in a different way,” Kelly says.

Whether or not they get back together, Kelly has given abundantly clear signs of her love for Dan. He says: “It was truly a selfless act; to put your own life on the line to save someone else is amazing. Kelly will always be my hero.”