Woman on donating kidney to husband: It's a no-brainer

Jon and Cynthia Faulkner have a knack for helping others.

Two weeks ago, Cynthia helped rescue the 27 children on the Hillsborough County school bus that crashed into the water.

“It was horrifying. At the moment when I turned the corner and I saw the bus in the water, all I thought were my three kids were in that bus drowning,” Cynthia said.

The Faulkners' children weren’t on the bus, but that didn’t stop Cynthia from risking her own life to save someone else's.

“It was a mother’s instinct,” she said. “I was going, whether it was my kids, someone else’s kids. ... They’re babies, and they were getting out of that bus no matter what I had to do.”

And now Cynthia is putting it all on the line again - this time to save her husband. She is donating one of her kidneys to him

“I’ve had people ask me are you sure you want to do this?” Cynthia said. “And I’m, like, there’s nobody in the world I’d rather do it for.”

Three years ago, John was diagnosed with kidney disease. He started dialysis last October in Cincinnati and was waiting for transplant.

But the hospital denied his transplant because doctors couldn’t find a cause for his disease.

“When we were denied in Cincinnati, it felt like someone stabbed us,” Cynthia said. “I’ve never been at a more low point in my life, and it felt like there was no way out.”

“This whole process for me, the burden I’ve put on my family, is heart-wrenching, to be honest,” said Jon. “It’s scary for my family."

The family did some research and moved to Tampa back in February. They’ve been approved for the transplant at Tampa General Hospital.

But the cost won’t come cheap. The Faulkners need $25,000 to cover expenses while they’re both in recovery.

“My kids need their dad around and it was a no-brainer for me,” said Cynthia.   

“She's an unbelievable woman to do this for me,” Jon said.

A Gofundme account has been set up to help with expenses.

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