WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A dispatcher at a Florida sheriff's office has given her colleague the best Christmas present ever: a new kidney.
Amber Savoie, a dispatcher for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, earlier this month donated a kidney to Jesse Mesa, a fellow dispatcher who was diagnosed with Lupus, an autoimmune disease that can damage kidneys.
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After a potential donor dropped out this year, Mesa made a last-ditch effort by sending out an email to the entire Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, asking if someone might consider helping her.
Even though Savoie didn't know her colleague well, she volunteered. Savoie works the night shift while Mesa works during the day.
"I knew her," Savoie told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "But it wasn't like we were best friends."
Savoie said she knew her colleague had children — ages 19 and 12 — and she wanted Mesa to be able to watch them grow up.
"She's completely unselfish and an amazing human being," said Mesa.
