Nursing Student to Donate Kidney to Friend Month After Graduating

When Jenna Mize got the good news that she would be able to donate her kidney, she showed her friend a sign that read, "I love you with all of my left kidney."

An Alabama nursing student will be graduating in May. But she won't be celebrating the accomplishment like many other students. She'll be donating her kidney.

Jenna Mize's 18-year-old friend Deanna was diagnosed with kidney failure about a year ago and was put on dialysis. Deanna's family posted on Facebook looking for donors.

Mize saw the post, but said she initially didn't put much thought into the appeal.

"I'm in nursing school. I'm about to graduate. I'm about to get a job. Like, this just isn't the timing," Mize told WHNT.

But all that changed, Mize said, when she prayed for Deanna.

Mize said she "just felt this voice" telling her to fill out the application and find out if she was a match for Deanna. "I just knew right then before I even filled it out that I was going to be her match," she said.

After Mize's application was approved, she had to go to Florida for more testing. There, she was able to surprise Deanna in the hospital. As the two embraced in a big hug, a shocked Deanna started crying.

Back in Alabama, Mize had some good news for Deanna, so she FaceTimed her friend.

"We had a sign and a picture of my kidneys. And it said, 'I love you with all of my left kidney," Mize said.

Mize will be donating her biggest kidney to Deanna, and the surgery is scheduled for June 20.

"You're getting my mack-daddy kidney," Mize told Deanna during the FaceTime.

Now, Mize is putting a lot of thought into her relationship with Deanna.

"I just know 100% that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. What I've just learned constantly throughout this whole process is that it's God's timing and this is what he wanted. And more than anything, it's bringing her life back," Mize said.

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