Back in 2014, Heather Krueger from Illinois was diagnosed with stage 4 liver disease. Doctors predicted that Krueger would only have a few months to live without a donor.
“They immediately told me I was going to need a transplant,” Heather says. “By that time I could really feel my body shutting down.”
The situation was dire and Krueger didn’t have much time to find a donor….
Then a hero came — Chris Dempsey, a code enforcement officer for the village of Frankfort, Illinois. Dempsey just so happened to be in the break room one day when he overheard Krueger’s story. He was compelled by her story and decided to get tested to see if he was a potential donor match.
Miraculously, Dempsey was a match. Despite never having met Heather, Chris decided to donate part of his liver to save Heather’s life.
“I spent four years in the Marine Corps and learned there never to run away from anything. So I just said to myself, ‘Hey, if I can help, I’m going to help,’” Chris said.
When asked why he would go to such extremes for a stranger, Dempsey said, “When I heard about her situation, I just put myself in that situation, thinking if this was one of my family members or me, I would want somebody to help me out.”
It wasn’t long after that the two checked into the University of Illinois Hospital for their operation. The procedure involved removing roughly half of Dempsey’s liver and transplanting it into Krueger. Thankfully, it was a success.
After the surgery, Chris and Heather remained close. The two then realized their feelings for one another were stronger than just friendship and last December they became engaged.
Two years after giving her part of his liver, she gave him all her heart.
“You are the most incredible man I have ever known. You believe in me and you make me feel amazing every single day. Because of you, I laugh, smile and I dare to dream again,” Heather said in her vows.
What an incredible love story to tell the kids. Little did Chris know that when he decided to give an organ to a stranger, that stranger ended up being his future wife. An incredibly touching story to read about.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
