WORCESTER, Mass. - In the spirit of the holidays, UMass Memorial Health is sharing the story of two local strangers connected by an act of goodwill for a woman living with kidney failure.

Jessica Lam is now healthy, but two years ago in December 2022, the graduate student from Uxbridge went to the emergency department for what she thought was the flu. It turned out to be kidney failure, and she was forced to undergo dialysis three times a week.

“This news impacted me mentally so bad that I took time off of school just to focus on my mental health and my illness, adjusting to this new life,” Lam said.

Several months later, she eventually turned to social media to share her story and ask for help.

In the neighboring town of Whitinsville, the daughter of 53-year-old Cara Bernard saw the post and shared it with her, because Bernard had previously been prepared to donate a kidney to a coworker before a donor was found.

Then, she contacted the Transplant Center at UMass Memorial Medical Center to begin the process of becoming an anonymous donor.

“I said ‘You know what? She’s my daughter’s age,” Bernard said. “And I just couldn’t imagine what her family was going through in life.”

It has now been more than a year since their successful surgery, but until recently, Bernard had remained anonymous. They got together two months ago at UMass Memorial Medical Center, and are sharing their story to highlight the importance of organ donation.

“I was in a waiting room and waiting for her to be brought in, I think the first thing I did was cry,” Lam said. “I just hugged her in tears, so I was just in shock.”

There are nearly 90,000 Americans currently waiting for a kidney transplant, with an average wait time of three to five years.

“A person has two kidneys, and I feel like we have two kidneys for a reason,” Bernard said. “And that’s to share one.”

Dr. Dheera Reddy, surgical director of the Living Donor Kidney Program, operated on Cara. She also stressed the importance of donors.

“Every living donor truly embodies the spirit of giving with their altruism and generosity,” Reddy said. “They give their recipients an early opportunity for a longer and healthier life. We at UMass Memorial Health want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the donors.”