Coffee-house Barista Helps Save Veteran With Kidney Disease
Sep 03, 2020 by apost team
In 2018, Starbucks barista Nicole McNeil from Seattle was serving one of her regular customers, Vince Villano, when she noticed he seemed a little grumpy. Vince opened up about his desperate battle with kidney failure. When the mom of three got home, she told her husband, Justin, about the conversation, who decided to donate his kidney to help.
As most people go through their daily routine, they come across many of the same strangers. They recognize their faces, and they may even exchange casual greetings. However, they rarely take the time to get to know these strangers.
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As told by Starbucks Stories & News, Nicole was Vince’s barista, so she was familiar with his first name and his favorite morning beverage. One day, she observed that Vince was not acting as happy or as engaged as he normally was.
When she got a break from her shift, she approached him to inquire what was wrong. Their interactions had never gotten personal like this, but Nicole was concerned about him.
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She learned that Vince was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, which he had been able to manage well until recently. In fact, he had just started dialysis in order to treat this condition. Nicole also discovered that Vince had something in common with her husband, Justin. They were both Army veteran sergeants.
Vince was not happy being on dialysis, but his concerns extended beyond that. He needed a kidney transplant, but he knew finding a donor was a long shot. Vince was concerned about leaving his two children.
Nicole was disheartened by Vince’s situation, and she shared his story with her husband when she returned home later that day. She was stunned when Justin offered to give Vince one of his kidneys.
Her husband had immediately extended the offer to a complete stranger. However, Justin was the kindest and most generous person she knew, so she understood how serious he was about this offer.
Soon, Justin had been genetically screened and was a perfect match to Vince. Justin’s and Vince’s families shared the Christmas holiday together. The following day, the two men went to the hospital for the procedure. It was completed without incident.
Doctors told Vince that his life may be extended by up to 20 years thanks to Justin’s kidney donation. All of this was the result of one woman showing interest in the feelings of a mere acquaintance. What are your thoughts about this story? Tell us what you think in the comments.