OXFORD, Maine — According to the National Kidney Foundation, someone is added to the kidney transplant list every 14 minutes.
An Oxford restaurant owner wanted to give back this holiday season by taking one of her longtime customers off that list.
Daddy O's owner Amanda Ouellette wanted to donate one of her kidneys to a longtime customer after learning the customer was having a kidney problem.
They weren't a match, but Ouellette didn't want to give up. They ended up doing a kidney swap, and Ouellette donated her kidney to a recipient in Colorado. By doing that, her customer was able to find a match.
"It just seemed like such an easy thing in a way. We all, for the most part, have two kidneys. We only need one really to survive as long as it's healthy and working, so it just kind of seemed like a no-brainer to me," Ouellette said.
The two had surgery on December 2. Ouellette said they are both doing well.
"We are almost two weeks out and the recovery has been super easy. There has been minimal pain," she said.
Ouellette said people should take any opportunity to reach out and help others, especially during this year.