Vince Villano is a regular customer at the coffee shop where Nicole McNeil works, and up until this point, she hasn’t been able to wrap her head around the fact that she ended up being the one to save his life.
McNeil would frequently serve Villano a cup of coffee; however, other than his name and the way he liked his coffee prepared, she was unaware of any other information pertaining to the individual,
McNeil made the observation that Villano appeared to be stressed one day while he was enjoying his customary cup of coffee. She went up to him and inquired about what was going on in the world. Villano hesitated to speak up since he was aware that the barista was quite busy.
McNeil was seriously concerned about the individual, so she proposed that they speak about it after she finished her shift. After then, she found out about Villano’s history for the first time. It was revealed that he had served in the United States Army, much as her spouse had done before.
He was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease 11 years ago after working as an emergency medical technician for 8 years. During that time, he had been working in the field.
Villano shared, ” I had various situations in military. On the other hand, I had no actual say in this matter. There is nothing that can be done about it. You might think of it as a constant dark cloud that looms over your head.
It was inevitable that he would need to start going through the process of dialysis as his kidneys continued to deteriorate.
Even though he was placed on transplant waiting list, he was realistic about his chances of actually receiving a kidney from a donor. He recognized that his odds were slim. Because of this, he became concerned about his two children, Kanton and Savanna, whose ages ranged from 18 to 20 at the time.
McNeil, troubled by Villano’s findings, brought up their chat with Villano to her husband, and he responded in a way that left McNeil dumbfounded. He said, “I am in possession of a kidney. He is welcome to take mine.”
At first, McNeil had a hard time understanding why her husband was so eager to give his kidney to a stranger whom he had never met. But eventually, she came to terms with it.
On the other hand, she later understood that her husband is the sort of person who is capable of doing an act of such selflessness. “He cares about people nearly as much as anyone else I’ve ever met,” she added “he’s the friendliest guy I’ve ever met.”
The McNeils began spending time with Villano and his family, and, as was to be anticipated, a connection was quickly formed between the two sets of males.
Justin McNeil characterized the relationship as “just like brothers.” Naturally, McNeil did not forget about the offer he made to Villano. They conducted DNA testing, and the results showed that it was a match.
Villano had kidney transplant surgery on December 26, 2018, which also happened to be Justin McNeil’s 36th birthday. Since the transplant, he has been experiencing improved health and has noticed a change in his overall demeanor.
The two families are continuing to get closer to one another now that Villano’s health is showing signs of improvement. In point of fact, the two veterans have developed a unique friendship that goes beyond the traditional roles of donor and receiver.
Nicole McNeil once said, “Every complete stranger is a possible friend. Not everyone is going to end up becoming one, but you never know.”