‘It was just like a miracle’: Saskatoon woman finds kidney donor

A story that started as a call for help is now one step closer to a happy ending.

Debbie Onishenko has been on the hunt for a kidney donor after struggling with kidney disease, going so far as to put a decal on her car asking for help. Her call was finally answered.

“It’s a God-given miracle, they’re just the most amazing people that will do this, and Brent is just my angel,” Onishenko said.

Since Onishenko’s story came out in August 2022, she said she’s received calls from a bunch of people; some in the same predicament as her, and others, like Brent Kruger, looking to help.

“When Brent phoned me, it was amazing, it was just like a miracle happened.”

Kruger had to go through a long testing process to confirm that he had a compatible kidney.

“Brent called me himself and told me he was a match. I was just crying, it was unbelievable, it was just the best news that I could have ever gotten,” Onishenko added.

Kruger said this all stemmed from when he was scrolling through local news online one night when he happened upon Onishenko’s story.

“Debbie’s story jumped right out to me. I read it, and something in me lit up and said that I had to try and phone the number,” Kruger said.

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He said he knew friends of family members who needed a kidney transplant, and that’s what got him thinking about getting tested.

The process for testing went from September to January.

“From start to finish, I probably had 40 vials of blood taken,” Kruger said.

“I got CT scans done, ultrasounds, X-rays, respiratory checks.

“You name it, I did it.”

The duo met during the testing process, with Onishenko saying they went for crossmatch blood work, and wasn’t expecting Kruger to be there at the same time as her.

“All of a sudden Brent yelled, ‘Debbie!’, and I turned and looked and I recognized his voice because we had talked on the phone. And I went, ‘Brent!’, and I just cried, and we hugged, and it was just an amazing moment to be able to meet together.”

With everything confirmed from testing, it’s now a waiting game for Onishenko and Kruger, as they stand by for a phone call waiting for a surgery date.

Both donor and recipient are hoping this story sheds a spotlight on the need for donations.

“Hopefully people will understand all this, see the miracle of people helping each other out,” Onishenko said.

“I’m just a guy who made a call,” Kruger said.

“I would encourage anyone to think about donation of any kind. Donate blood, plasma, bone marrow, we have one kidney to give. You need to give.”