A Kentucky father of two diagnosed with stage four cancer was given a new lease on life after a very giving stranger on social media saw he desperately needed a kidney and selflessly donated the vital organ.
The diagnosis seemed like a death sentence when Chase Cooper learned he had renal cell cancer last year, and doctors told him that he would need to put his name on a kidney transplant list.
“We were told prior to him starting this that typically, people wait two to five years before they receive an organ,” Chase’s wife, Kaila Cooper, told WKYT.
“In his case, we didn’t end up having that much time.”
Determined to find one on her own to save her husband’s life, Kaila Cooper shared a post on Facebook to find an organ donor.
“We put a post out, and it was shared so many times,” she explained.
One of the people that post reached was Hanna Durbin — a total stranger to the Coopers.
Durbin was already beginning the process to see if she was a match before she reached out to the family.
She broke the good news to the family once it was revealed she was a match.
“She was the real deal. It was a match,” Chase Cooper said.
“The stars align well, more than the stars aligning. The good Lord had us covered,” Kaila said.
However, it would be a long and trying road before Durbin could give Chase Cooper the life-saving gift.
With the original transplant date set for Dec. 6, the family found out only days prior that Durbin and Chase Cooper were no longer compatible “due to newly developed antibodies in Chase’s system,” Kaila Cooper shared in an update on Facebook.
“When we were told Hanna and Chase were no longer compatible, we were all truly devastated. Being just a few short days away from such a life-changing procedure, just to have the rug yanked out from under us- there are no words,” she wrote in the post.
“But in those moments of sadness and confusion, Hanna instantly said ‘I’ll do anything I can to help. I know the good Lord has placed this on my heart for a reason.’”
Grateful for Durbin’s offer, the family thought they had no choice but to wait out and hope another donor would appear or Chase Cooper’s name would hit on the registry.
Fortunately for the Coopers, that wasn’t the case.
The family received the news that Durbin was “once again” a direct living donor for Chase Cooper on Jan. 31.
Finally, Chase Cooper and Durbin underwent a successful surgery for the transplant at the University of Kentucky less than a month later.
“It’s really an amazing process to see someone go from their sickest to healthy again and being able to just enjoy life with their loved ones,” transplant administrator at UK Healthcare Melinda Fox told WKYT.
“And, you know, as simple as signing up for the registry as a donor can make that impact for someone.”
Following the surgery, the stranger on Facebook only a few months ago has become like family to the Coopers.
“She’s like family now. She ain’t no stranger,” Chase Cooper told the outlet.
“The gratitude that we have for her is insurmountable,” Kaila said. “There are not enough words in the English dictionary that I know to accurately explain how thankful we are for her selfless sacrifice.”
In 2024, there are nearly 90,000 on the kidney transplant list in the US, according to the Health Resources & Services Administration.
Since the beginning of this year, 27,332 people have successfully had a kidney transplant.
April is National Donate Life Month, dedicated to finding Americans to register as organ donors.
Anyone interested in donating an organ is encouraged to register with the National Donate Life Registry.