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Madeline tells: ‘I gave my student a kidney… now we’re married!’

In her own words, Rotorua’s Madeline Wright, 35, shares her unlikely love story
Brides Madeline and Kylie Wright with their kids
The brides with their kids Oscar and Fern.
Pictures: Captured by Tahlia.

“Working in my office, I heard a gentle knock at my door. ‘Take a seat, Kylie,’ I smiled at the woman who came in.

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It was April 2022 and I tutored at a beauty school. Kylie, 27, was one of my students. I’d taught her for eight weeks and knew she had kidney disease. We hadn’t spoken about it, but I kept an eye on her in case the workload got too much.

Today, though, I was worried. Kylie was paler and looked exhausted. She slid a newspaper clipping across my desk.

‘I just want my tutors to know what’s going on with me,’ she said.

The article explained her kidneys were failing and she was in desperate need of a donor. I was shocked – Kylie was dying right in front of me. She must’ve felt terrified.

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‘Please know I’m here for you,’ I said, my voice cracking.

That night, I kept thinking about Kylie. Like me, she was a single mum and didn’t deserve this cruel fate. I wished I could do something to help. ‘Maybe I can,’ I thought.

Researching ‘organ donation’ online, I learned it’s possible to live with just one kidney, especially if the donor is fit and healthy.

Although I barely knew Kylie, I knew enough about her situation to feel bad if I didn’t consider giving her my kidney.

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But first, I had to discuss it with my daughter Fern, seven.

‘I know it sounds scary,’ I said after explaining about Kylie’s predicament. ‘But she’s a mum like me and this might save her life.’

Fern beamed, ‘You’re amazing, Mum.’ Her blessing meant the world.

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Next day, I spoke to my class. ‘I have an announcement,’ I declared. ‘I’m donating a kidney… to Kylie!’ As the students cheered, Kylie was beside herself.

‘I can’t believe it,’ she sobbed. ‘You’re a beautiful person,’ I smiled. ‘And too young to die.’

After that, I resigned from my job to focus on what lay ahead. But it wasn’t simple. We needed extensive testing to check we had the same blood type and antibodies.

‘The chances are roughly 5%,’ the doctor warned us. But incredibly, we were a match!

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Within weeks, Kylie’s health took a terrifying turn.

‘My doctor says I’m in severe renal failure and need urgent dialysis,’ she told me, explaining she’d require treatment three days a week.

It broke my heart. How could she go through all that, as well as look after her five-year-old Oscar?

‘You can’t do this alone,’ I said. ‘Why don’t you move in with Fern and me for a while?’

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She nodded, wrapping her arms around me. ‘You’ve saved my life,’ she cried.

Kylie (right) had to go on dialysis.

Soon Kylie and I got to know each other better. We’d often chat on the couch late into the night. We had lots in common and shared the same silly sense of humour.

During one chat, Kylie told me she’d previously been in two relationships with women.

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The revelation turned my stomach to butterflies. ‘What’s that?’ I thought, confused by the giddy feeling. I’d never been attracted to a woman before, but something about Kylie’s gentle nature and kind heart made her special. The more time we spent together, the more I was drawn to her.

One night on the couch, Kylie looked into my eyes. ‘I love you,’ she said.

My heart felt as if it might explode. ‘I feel the same,’ I gushed. It was thrilling to finally admit it.

When we told Fern and Oscar, they felt surprised but happy for us.

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Now I was even more determined to save Kylie’s life. The weeks before the op were nerve-racking. I worried something might go wrong.

Finally, on 19 April 2023, we were admitted to Auckland City Hospital. Before doctors prepped me for surgery, I threw my arms around Kylie. ‘You’re my angel,’ she cried.

When I came to after the four-hour op, the reality of what I’d undergone hit.

Doctors explained they’d cut from my pelvis to my belly button to remove my left kidney. Before it was transplanted, it went through a complex cleaning procedure to remove anything foreign that might result in organ rejection for Kylie.

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I was tender and my right leg was numb from lying on it during surgery, but I had no regrets. I just hoped it worked.

The fab four are now a happy family.

Surgeons operated on Kylie for seven hours and a day later, they told me it had been a success. ‘Thank goodness!’ I thought.

I felt exhausted and had very little energy, but it was just my body learning to function on one kidney.

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I visited Kylie constantly. Her recovery was more complicated, and she suffered with fatigue and nausea. But thanks to anti-rejection medication, her body soon took to her new kidney well.

After a month, she was allowed home and we could finally focus on being a family.

‘You’ve saved my life in so many ways,’ Kylie said.

In February 2024, she slipped a pounamu ring on my finger. ‘Let’s set a date,’ she said, smiling.

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‘There’s no-one else I’d rather be with,’ I grinned.

Two months later, we married on an autumn day in front of our children, family and friends.

Now I’m in my last year of a psychology and counselling degree, and Kylie’s working full-time as a beauty therapist.

We even run together a few days a week, which would have been impossible for my wife when we first met.

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My decision to become a living donor saved Kylie’s life – falling in love was just the icing on the wedding cake!’

For more info, search for “live organ donation” at info.health.nz.

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