Great story, from The Criterion:
Like many parents, Rebeca Barcenas had this one overwhelming prayer that she continually shared with God.
She longed to be the best mother she could be to her children, to have the normal family life that her kidney failure had taken away from her.
After being on dialysis for seven years, Barcenas knew that her best chance of having her prayer answered was to receive a kidney transplant. So she was touched when her parish priest at the time, Father Christopher Wadelton, told her he was pursuing the possibility of being an organ donor for her, and encouraging others at St. Philip Neri Parish in Indianapolis to do the same.
She was also stunned and thrilled when the extensive testing showed that Father Wadelton was a compatible match for her, beating long-shot odds.
So on the morning of May 14, the 37-year-old Barcenas and the 54-year-old Father Wadelton prepared for transplant surgeries that would change their lives, connect them forever and show the depth of their faith.
“I think he is an angel of God that God sent to me and my family—to heal so much pain and suffering that we had been through,” she says. “To sacrifice an organ, in this case a kidney, to another person, I think it’s beautiful.
“What he gave me was not only a kidney, but faith in God—and many reasons to live to enjoy myself and my family without pain or fear. I thank
Father Chris for what he has done for us and, most of all, God for hearing our prayers—because without God, we’re nothing.”
You gotta read it all.
