He was 16. Almost 37 years later, Linda Vargas gave her husband, Ruben, one of her healthy kidneys and a new lease on life - a life that has spanned 35 years of marriage, the birth of five children and the joy of being grandparents to 11. Since the 1960s, when kidney transplants began, some spouses have been able to give this same gift of life. It was a choice that Linda never imagined making when she first saw Ruben walk into the Garden Theater in the Indiana Harbor section of East Chicago in 1964. The possibilities Get involved With this operation, where it is done is almost as important as who does it.
Dozens help make transplants possible.
Meet Ruben and Linda's doctors. Thousands face renal failure each year. For some a kidney never comes, death does. More than 70,000 people nationwide are waiting for transplants. You can help.