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- A 72-year-old woman from Wolcott will receive the greatest gift of her life next week, thanks to one of her daughter's friends. The friend made a selfless decision to give back.
Marilyn Beherns was waiting to receive a kidney, but didn't know how long she might have to wait.
"I was on a donor list at IU Med Center," said Dowell's mother, Marilyn Beherns. "But that could take between one year to ten years, that you have to wait for a match."
The wait for a kidney transplant was shortened when Marci Myers, a single mother of two girls, stepped in. Myers has known Beherns and her daughter, Deb Dowell, for more than 20 years and heard about Beherns's need during a hair appointment with Dowell.
"Well, just immediately, she said, 'I'll just give her one of mine. I only need one,'" said Dowell.
"I have no hesitation," Myers said.
"It's a blessing," said Beherns. "It's something I needed very, very badly, and I'll always be thankful for it."
Beherns was diagnosed with glomular membranous nephritis in 1985. She was told she'd have to be on dialysis within days. But after a trip to the Mayo Clinic, and three medications a day for 25 years, she didn't have to go on dialysis until May of 2010.
"I go three days a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and it lasts for four-and-a-half hours," Beherns said.
When Myers came in for a hair appointment with Dowell in August, she offered to give up one of her kidneys for Dowell's mother. It was a secret the two kept until Thanksgiving, when they knew for sure Myers would be a match.
"She said, 'You're going to get a kidney,'" Beherns said. "And she was going to take my picture, and I just sat there. She said, 'Are you ever going to react?' It was a big shock!"
To Beherns and Dowell, Myers is a hero. To Myers, she's simply doing what she can.
"God gave us the gift of life, and I'm just giving part of myself to somebody else to help them live," Myers said. "It's the greatest gift I think you can give somebody."
The family is holding another fundraiser for Marci and Marilyn on Sunday, February 6 at 9:00 a.m. It's a breakfast event at the Sacred Heart Church in Remington.
All of the money raised will go toward expenses, including Myers' cost of living while she's on bed rest for four to six weeks and Beherns' anti-rejection drugs, some of which will cost $3000 a month.
If you can't make the fundraiser, you can also donate to a fund at the Bank of Wolcott. Just ask to contribute money to the Marilyn Beherns Benefit Fund.
