Her late husband's kidney saved this man's life. Years later, she gave him one of her own

When Terri Herrington saved her friend's life by giving him a kidney, she was following in her late husband's footsteps. 

Herrington's husband, Bryan, died 16 years ago in a roofing accident. She said she has long taken comfort in the fact that his donated organs went on to save four lives — including that of Jeffrey Granger.

After that first transplant, Granger and Herrington became close friends. So when she learned that his donated kidney was failing and that he needed a new one, she didn't hesitate to offer her own. 

"When he said he needed one, I said, 'OK, let's do this,'" Herrington told As It Happens host Carol Off.

This story was originally reported by CNN.

Herrington, who lives in Pensacola, Fla., said her late husband was a generous person and always planned to be an organ donor. 

When he died, his pancreas and kidney went to Granger, who has lived most of his life with insulin-dependent diabetes. Bryan's heart, lungs and liver saved three other people's lives. 

For the first year after the transplant, organ donation rules prevented Herrington and Granger from learning each other's identity, but they would exchange anonymous cards and letters.

When they finally were allowed to speak to each other, they hit it off immediately.

"It was amazing. It was just like we've known each other for all our lives or something," Granger told Off. 

"The first time we ever talked was for a long time on the cellphone, 30-45 minutes on the phone. It was just like reconnecting to a high school friend."

The two have been friends ever since. Herrington said she often visits Granger and his wife at their home outside Tallahassee, Fla. Their families have taken beach and boat trips together.

"My kids were two months old and five years old at the time of Bryan's passing, so he's basically been there watching them grow, and he's always been a fixture," Herrington said.

'Did you think I was kidding?'

Herrington has been an outspoken advocate for organ donation ever since Bryan died. But in recent years, she'd been thinking of stepping it up and becoming a living donor. 

So when Granger said he needed a new kidney in 2019, she took it as a sign.

Granger said Herrington offered her kidney so quickly and casually that he initially thought she was joking.  

But when he posted on Facebook that he was praying for a kidney donor, she replied: "Did you think I was kidding?"

Granger later learned that both Herrington and his wife were matches, but he opted to take Herrington up on her offer so his wife could act as his caregiver after the surgery. 

The transplant took place on March 3 and was a success. Now Granger has two kidneys — a husband's and a wife's — side by side in his body.

"It's so unique," Herrington said. "It's like, I guess, we're back together."

Dr. Mark Johnson, who operated on Herrington at UF Health Shands Hospital, told CNN that her organ would improve the quality of Granger's life and extend his life expectancy. 

Today, Granger said he's doing really well. 

"As James Brown would have said, I feel good."

Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview produced by Chloe Shantz-Hilkes.