A Perfect Match: Couple's kidney transplant a success

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A wife saves her husband's life by donating her kidney to him. Action 10 News first told you about this couple last month. On Friday they underwent a successful surgery.
John and Ivette Barrientes call each other "soulmates" and with good reason.
Four months ago, John found out he had kidney plate failure.
Finding an organ donor is hard to come by, but the odds were in their favor when it turned out his wife was the perfect match.
"This is a once in a lifetime thing," John Barrientes said. "It's very rare to find a match. I've seen hundreds of people on group chats that we are on with kidney transplants and donors and we see how they struggle to find a donor for themselves. To have my wife as a match -- there's no words."
Three days after the kidney transplant and both John and Ivette said they are recovering well.
"The kidney is working great," John Barrientes said. "It's producing what it is supposed to. The numbers are regulating and my body is functioning back to normal."
They said seeing each other for the first time following the operation was emotional.
"Like I said before, he has a piece of me," Ivette Barrientes said. "He has a piece of me and we now have this bond that can never be broken."
The couple's best friend Gabriel Leal is hosting a fundraiser between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Feb. 22 at the Hi-Ho Drive-In, 3945 Baldwin. All proceeds will go towards the couple's medical expenses.
"These medications that I will have to take for the rest of my life are not cheap," John Barrientes said. "They are really expensive. There are two anti-rejection medications that I will have to take for the rest of my life."
The couple -- who have been married for three years -- say they credit their friends, family and their faith in God.
Tickets for the barbecue fundraiser are $8 and can be purchased at Hi-Ho, First Base, The Barn and Lucky's bars.
There will be a silent auction, raffles and baked goods.