A Kidney Called Nicole
Lean on Me: A Story of Organ Donation
At The Crucible Project, we believe in transformation, healing, and walking through the storms of life together. The following story of two Crucible sisters, Patty and Lita, is a powerful celebration of life, organ donation, and a tangible example of the power of community.
Patty didn’t want to move to Oklahoma. In fact, when she left her home in California in 2022, she was kicking and screaming on the inside. But that reluctant move set in motion a divine story of health, life, and friendship she never could have imagined.
Years earlier, in 2009, Patty had suffered kidney damage due to a hospital error involving an antibiotic overdose. Her kidneys had held steady for a while, but after the move, they started to rapidly decline. She was flying back and forth to see her nephrologist in Santa Barbara when he finally said, “You need someone local.” Her new nephrologist in Oklahoma gave it to her straight: she would need to go on dialysis or get a transplant. Her husband was willing to donate, but wasn’t a match—and due to his age, he wasn’t eligible for a kidney exchange program with the donation bank, either. A cadaver donation wouldn’t work, given Patty’s age and condition. She was out of options. Or so it seemed.
Then came a nudge from her nephrologist: “Find someone at your church to advocate for you. Ask.” Patty was hesitant. “Who asks for an organ?” she thought. Still, she posted in her church’s women’s group, asking if anyone with O+ blood would consider being a donor.
Lita, who served as a volunteer woman on Patty’s initial Crucible weekend in October of 2022, saw the message. A quiet introvert by nature, Lita doesn’t seek the spotlight and isn’t one to dive headfirst into something so bold. But this time, something stirred. “Why not?” she thought. “I’m healthy. I’m O+. This is something I can do.” She messaged Patty: “I think I could give you a kidney.”
Though the two women were already connected through their church’s women’s group and both part of their local Crucible community, Patty was still stunned. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “Lita’s message gave me hope.”
Lita moved quickly—she talked to her husband and her doctor, who didn’t see a reason she couldn’t donate but warned that matching involved more than just blood type – there’s less than a 1% chance of matching for those who are not biologically related. The odds were slim. “But they don’t know our God,” Patty said. And the tests began.
And kept going.
Each step felt like an invitation to hope, only to brace for disappointment. But over the next several months, test after test confirmed it: Lita was a match.
There were obstacles—an abnormal EKG, borderline blood pressure—but every time something came up, it resolved without concern. Lita passed every test. Her doctor marveled at her heart health. Her blood pressure logs came back clean. Every medical “no” turned into a providential “yes.”
The surgery is officially scheduled for July 28, 2025 – 11 months from when Lita first saw Patty’s message. For Patty, her nephrologist recently joked, “You’re wasting my time—everything looks too good!” For Lita, the time of waiting has been a gift. “It’s given me space to reflect, to be a whole-body yes. I know this is something God wants me to do.”
Together, they’ve nicknamed the donated kidney “Nicole Kidney”—a nod to the humor and lightness that has kept them laughing through the journey. “Lita is an angel,” Patty says. “She’s literally saving my life.” Lita, through tears, says simply, “It’s an honor.”
Their story is a powerful reminder of how connection sustains us. When storms come—and they always do—we need people to lean on. People who show up with their presence, not just their words. People who step in with support, not just sympathy.
Let Patty and Lita’s story remind you of the gift we all have to offer each other—not just kidneys, but presence. Not just support, but sacrifice. The courage to ask for help. The bravery to say yes.
You may not be called to donate an organ. But you are called to be connected, to root yourself in community, to offer strength when someone is faltering. Because when the storms come, your strength will come from who you’re walking with.
Lean on your sisters.
Lean on your brothers.
Lean on each other.
Just like Patty.
Just like Lita.
Just like Christ has called us.