Pleasant Prarie man receives kidney from wife's coworker

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Pleasant Prairie resident Corey Canfield has suffered kidney issues since he was a child.

“Then over time it got worse and it got to a point where it needed to be addressed about January 2017,” Canfield said.

Corey and his wife Kristin, who have two small children, faced a difficult dilemma.

Corey could either go on dialysis or receive a kidney transplant.

“I mean it was our world flashing before our eyes,” Kristin said.

Kristin took to social media to find a donor.

She created a Facebook page and she never believed who would answer the call.

This man who answered is Marty Whyte, the head custodian at Washington Middle School, where Kristin teaches 7th grade.

Marty decide to undergo surgery and give his kidney to a stranger.

“They have two small children just like we do,” Whyte said. “I just wanted to do that for him so he can be with his family longer.”

Marty’s wife Pam says she wasn’t surprised when her husband told her his plan.

“He just does a lot for people,” Pam said. “That’s just who he is.”

These two men, once strangers, now friends, underwent surgery in December.

Both of the men say they are doing well, however, Corey still has to take medication the rest of his life and take care of himself.

So how do you thank someone you didn’t know for giving you a second chance at life?

“You say it a lot and they tell you i know a lot,” Corey said while laughing.

Pam says while people may have reservations about donating, she says you receive a lot of support along the way and it’s an easier process than most people think.

She says people should consider it.

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