Gail Tannenbaum admits that she had a huge crush on classmate Richard Schultz in the seventh grade. Gail recounts how she looked forward to going to school every morning just to see Richard, who had a locker very close to hers.At the time, he was a ninth grader, and when he moved on to high school, she never saw him again.
Until just five years ago by chance, 34 years later, at a pre-reunion party they both attended. After the event, he messaged her on Facebook, asking to get together sometime — seeing that they were both single. After a few conversations, they found out that they lived just two blocks form one another in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and have been for the past 23 years. They went on a few dates and really hit it off. Before they knew it, Richard and Gail were moving in together.
But Gail suffered from kidney disease, causing her kidney's function to slowly decline year after year. The condition was discovered in 1994, and until 2012, she maintained 50% kidney function. When they reached 12% of their normal function, she knew it was time for a new kidney.
Richard, as her partner, got tested. And when it turned out he was a perfect match, both had to come to terms with what his kidney donation would mean. She couldn't accept that the procedure would put his life at risk, and he had to consider his children from a previous marriage, and what they would think.
After countless conversations and much debate, Gail learned to accept Richard's gift. The surgery was performed on October 14th, and both are perfectly healthy and doing well!
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