Edmonton woman to receive kidney from her father

Stephanie Verbeek will soon get a gift that will change her life forever. 

The 21-year-old will receive a donated kidney from her father Desmond Verbeek on Dec. 2.

"He's incredible. I look up to him a lot," said Stephanie during a Tuesday morning interview with Edmonton AM radio show host Mark Connolly.

"There are no words for it. He was the first one to step up and get tested, and came up as a match on the first try."

Stephanie moved from Sylvan Lake to Edmonton to be closer to the University of Alberta Hospital, where she will receive her transplant.

Trouble with her kidneys started at age 16. Exhausted, she would sleep all day. Soon after, she started to experience debilitating swelling in her legs.

Following a string of doctor visits, painful biopsies and unanswered questions, Stephanie finally received a diagnosis: her kidneys were failing.

"It's definitely taken a toll," she said.

Since then, Stephanie has spent three days a week undergoing dialysis treatment; each session lasts four hours. It's treatment she would have needed for the remainder of her life without a viable donor.

"I think it's what any person would do for their own child,"  Desmond said.

"It feels really good to not have to sit back and watch Stephanie go through the transplant and worry about her. It feels good to take her by the hand and we can go in as a team, and we're going to get through this together."

After the surgery, Stephanie hopes to attend college and get a full-time job, goals that failing health has put out of her reach until now.

"I'm just so excited to get my life back."

The Verbeek family has set up a GoFundMe page for Stephanie to help alleviate the financial burden she'll face during her three-month recovery.