FORESTVILLE, NY (WKBW) — If you had a chance to save a stranger's life would you? After a chance meeting at the Tavern on the Mall, Allison Kwilos and Katie Marsh are bonded for life.
Katie Marsh had been in dialysis for kidney failure for almost three years.
One night when she was picking up takeout, the owner of the Tavern on the Mall took the initiative to find Marsh her kidney by asking other patrons their blood type.
Luckily for Marsh, Forestville Elementary School teacher Allison Kwilos was eating in the restaurant.
"[The owner] came over and said 'Is anyone O-positive my friend needs a kidney' and my husband and I looked over and said 'We're O-positive,'" said Kwilos.
Marsh and Kwilos never met each other before this night, now they are bonded forever.
"There's so much life to live, and she gave that to me, without even knowing me," said Marsh.
So on May 20 of this year, Kwilos gave Marsh her kidney, ending the battle Marsh had for three years.
"I think living in a small town like Forestville, we have to be there for each other for the highs and lows," said Kwilos.
Kwilos's selflessness will be remembered by a tree dedicated in her name outside of her classroom at Forestville Elementary School.
Marsh's husband Alex has decided to also pay it forward by donating his own kidney to someone in need.
