MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A 19-year-old from Moon Township gave the gift of life to a long-time family friend who was in desperate need of a kidney transplant.
The moment when Mikaela Alt told Steve Trybus that he would be receiving the transplant was captured in an emotional video.
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Alt told Channel 11's Cara Sapida that there are two important days in a person's life: the day they're born and the day they figure out what they are meant to do on earth. She said she was meant to save Trybus' life by giving him a kidney.
The video shows Alt giving Trybus, the husband of her mother's best friend, a birthday gift he will never forget.
"It was supposedly a birthday cake. I obviously didn't look at it first and started singing 'Happy Birthday' pretty much by myself," said Trybus.
The cake said "Congratulations! See you in the OR."
Trybus soon realized what Alt was giving him.
"I can't lie, I was ready to die. I wanted to die. She brought me back to life," said Trybus.
Alt said she empathized with Trybus' pain because she had been involved in an ATV accident that left her with scars.
"I know what it's like to be in pain, you want it to end. Mine ended and his wasn't going to," she said.
Alt hopes their story inspires others to become organ donors.
"They said I was the youngest living donor in Pittsburgh and said I was a match," Alt told Sapida.
The transplant was a success, especially for Trybus.
"Instantly his color came back," said Alt. "That was an amazing thing to see."
According to the National Kidney Foundation, there are more than 123,000 people waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. More than 100,000 of those people are in need of kidneys, with an average wait time of 3.6 years.
Trybus' wait was less than a month, and he is once again enjoying life.
"Even the minutes are incredible when you make it through a day. Thank goodness for an angel," said Trybus.