Kate and Brian Chong are more than just a happy couple; Brian is his wife’s living kidney donor.

September marks ‘Living Donation Week,’ and Kate and Brian want to spread awareness of the life-saving procedure by sharing their story.

Back in 2011, Kate was experiencing chronic fatigue, consistent headaches, and at one point even lost her vision.

“I had something called IGA, which is an autoimmune disease that attacked my kidneys, which caused high blood pressure, and in turn that caused damage to my kidneys,” she said.

Through medication management and a conscious healthy lifestyle, she continued to manage her low-functioning kidneys for six more years before Brian underwent months of intense testing to see if he could be her donor.

“Once we found out that she was going to need that, I already knew that was something I was willing to do,” Brian said.

“I was willing to step up and be a support for my partner.”

Kate said they found out he was a donor around mid-2017.

“Who knew the man I just married would also be my kidney match?” she said.

Brian says the experience has been stressful but has been worth it.

Dr. Jagbir Gill, the medical director for the Kidney Transplant Program at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, says there is a great need for live-organ donations.

“Between 500 and 600 people are waiting for a kidney transplant at any given time,” he said.

“One in 10 British Columbians have some form of kidney disease.”

Gill is encouraging people to look into the process.

“The success rate of a kidney transplant is tremendous,” he said.

“It is remarkable that we are able to donate one of our kidneys; not all of us are, but the ones who are healthy enough to do so, it will transform someone’s life.”

Brian is living proof that you can be a live donor and maintain the same quality of life.

“I’ve done 120-km bike rides, I’ve run half marathons,” he said.

“I’ve done all the activities that I’ve done before.”

And now, they are able to celebrate how this life-saving procedure gave them a chance to fulfill their dream of having a family by ringing in their 10-year anniversary with their two children, aged 4 and 6.

“That was part of the dream, and I never knew that could be a possibility,” Kate said.