The Gift of Life
by Jill Cousins
In early 2022, Lake Mary resident Jackie Gerhart and her husband Gerry Castro were busy, active parents who weren’t in the habit of getting regular health checkups.
“We’re not the type to go to the doctor unless our arm’s falling off or something, right?,” says Jackie, now 43. “We eat pretty healthy; we’re going to the gym; we’re active. So we weren’t getting annual blood work done or anything like that.”
Then one day Gerry, who was 36 at the time, decided to go in for a checkup, and the results would turn their worlds upside down. His blood and urine test results were abnormal. After several months and a few more tests, he was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney disease known as IgA nephropathy, or Berger’s disease, in which the kidneys no longer filter blood properly.
A Sobering Diagnosis
“It was kind of a shock, to be honest, because he was so healthy,” says Jackie, who moved to Lake Mary with Gerry in 2010, six months after they met in New Jersey.
The diagnosis means that Gerry will require a kidney transplant at some point. Kidneys are by far the most in-demand organ for transplants. According to the National Kidney Foundation, 90,000 people are on the kidney waitlist, with 12 dying each day.
“Right away, I knew that I would do whatever I had to do to help my husband,” says Jackie. “I married him [in 2019], and we’re doing life together. It was my instant reaction.”
The couple read up on everything they could about IgA, found a network of other families dealing with the disease, and downloaded an app that provided a variety of resources.
Jackie’s blood type is O positive, which matches her with almost every other blood type – perhaps even Gerry. That means she could have potentially donated a kidney to him when the time comes. But Jackie feared that something could happen to her in the interim and then she wouldn’t be able to help her husband at all.
Then Jackie learned about a nationwide program that allows people to donate a kidney to a stranger, so when their loved one eventually needs a kidney, they will zoom to the top of the waiting list.
After doing additional research through the National Kidney Foundation, Jackie made the decision to donate a kidney to someone she doesn’t know so Gerry will be prioritized on the waiting list when his need arises. The program will also allow Jackie to move up on the list if she ever needs a kidney.
“I didn’t think twice about it,” says Jackie. “The second he said he would need a kidney, I’m like, ‘We’re going to figure it out.’ I was stressed and upset for a little bit, but then I went into problem-solving mode.”
Fly Like an Eagle
After going through a lengthy testing process at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Jackie had one of her kidneys removed on February 12, three days after her family’s beloved Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LIX.
“We’re Eagles fans, and me and my husband were not going to miss the Super Bowl,” Jackie says with a laugh. “We were praying, ‘Please God, send us into surgery with a win!’”
Gerry, now 39, calls Jackie his savior and is incredibly appreciative of her selfless act. Although Gerry has lost 45 pounds of muscle since his diagnosis, he has been managing his condition through medication, diet, and light exercise.
“It is truly beyond words to summarize how grateful I am, how deeply fortunate I am, and how honored I am to be loved by my wife,” says Gerry. “I love how genuinely caring and compassionate she is, and how she sets an extraordinary example for our children [Gavin, 13, and Araya, 10].”
Because of privacy laws, Jackie may never have the opportunity to meet the recipient of her kidney.
“I hope it did work,” she says, “but my main concern was I helped somebody, and when my husband needs one, he’s going to get it.”
Jackie also hopes that sharing her story will encourage others to donate a kidney to a stranger if they find themselves in a similar situation.
“Most people don’t know that this option is available,” says Jackie. “But you can help somebody and save someone’s life, and that’s a great feeling. I would absolutely do it again.”