IOPO®: Indiana Organ Procurement Organization, Inc.

Donation Stories

Profiles of recipients of the gift of life and the donors who saved them.

King Family Story Photo

King Family

Family Ties

The Jack King family of Lafayette, IN is one extraordinary example of a successful blending of two families. Married in 1996, Jack and Penny and their five children know it takes a lot of give and take. Jack’s daughters Christy, Julie and Melissa had left the nest by 1999 when their dad became very ill and was told he needed a kidney transplant. Penny was tested to see if she could give Jack one of her kidneys to spare him a long and uncertain wait. She was a good match. She and her children, David and Lindsey, voluntarily ate the restricted diet Jack had to follow while waiting for the surgery.

Penny recovered quickly from her donation but stayed in the hospital with Jack for six weeks while he fought off multiple complications. Her example of unselfish love and compassion convinced David he wanted to help Christy who also had a kidney transplant when she was 18 but had to go back on dialysis at 30 when the kidney began to fail. Though the two felt like brother and sister, they were not blood relatives and being a match for organ donation was a long shot. Christy protested his offer but was won over when he said, "Look at Mom." He was a match and the surgery went well for David and Christy.

The family has grown to include sons-in-law and grandchildren and the Kings treasure frequent family gatherings because they realize without donation and transplantation Jack and Christy would not be in the family picture.