Most people think Christmas presents have to come in a neatly wrapped box with an elaborate bow, but this man just proved that the best gifts can’t be bought.
When 27-year-old Raquel Gomes started showing signs of kidney disease, a side effect of the genetic disorder Alport syndrome she was born with, she had to begin giving herself dialysis treatments. Every night, Raquel would hook herself up to a machine by 9 p.m., and begin the 10-hour process. Not only was the treatment exhausting, but she was forced to give up her social life and traveling.
None of this, however, scared away Raquel’s 29-year-old boyfriend Bairon Gomez. Three months into her dialysis treatments, Bairon proposed to his girlfriend with a full understanding of what ‘in sickness and in health’ really meant.
But for Bairon, his heart wasn’t enough. He knew the only way they could have a long and healthy life together was if she got a new kidney, so he decided to get tested to see if he might be a match.
“When you see her every day going through the same experience, dealing with the machine . . . I wanted to get tested,” Bairon said.
Turns out, he was a perfect match for his fiancé. The two underwent transplant surgeries the past October, and have been recovering just in time for Christmas.
“I’m not giving her any more gifts. That’s it,” Bairon told the New York Post. “No, I’m only kidding, I don’t look at it like that. I did it to help her get back to her normal life.”
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[Featured image credit: New York Post]