Dennis Sharp and Rachel Allen had known each other since high school, but they had no idea just how interconnected their lives would become.
April is National Donate Life Month
Dennis Sharp and Rachel Allen had known each other since high school, but they had no idea just how interconnected their lives would become.
"It seems as though God has been preparing our path since the fourth grade when I became good friends with her future husband," explains Sharp. "Then we went to church together and fast forward several years after that, I would end up being the band director for both of her sons. What we thought were just coincidences, was actually divine intervention."
Sharp was put on dialysis for his failing kidneys in January of 2020. He was lethargic to the point that he would come home from band practice and go straight to bed. He had no energy for his students or his family. His skin took on a grayish tint and it wouldn’t be long until he was told he needed a kidney transplant. "Those are not easy words to hear," he admits. I told my students my predicament and that set my miracle in motion."
When Rachel Allen’s sons, Korben and Joshua, came home and told her that the band director needed a new kidney – she quietly got tested to see if she was a match. "As director of the INTEGRIS Health Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute, I see the miracles of transplantation every day. But this was the first time I felt called to personally be a part of one."
She continues, "Being healthy myself and knowing the benefits that come from a living kidney donation, I wanted to see if I could help this person who had been on the periphery of my life for so long." Allen was a perfect match.
"I was only on the transplant list for two weeks when I was told they had found a match, which is unheard of, many people wait for years," exclaims Sharp. "But I still didn’t know the donor was Rachel."
Allen explains why, "I didn’t want to get his hopes up in case something didn’t work out. So I just quietly worked behind the scenes."
It was something he wouldn’t find out until the transplant was delayed due to COVID precautions. "I was devastated when they told me that. I thought I had been given a death sentence," remembers Sharp. "Then that night, Rachel sent me an email telling me she was my donor and that she wasn’t going away. That she was going to see this through."
"He needed that reassurance," says Allen. "Dennis has been such a blessing to so many kids and families over years, I wanted to give him back to his family. I wanted him to be able to do what he loved again. I wanted to give him his life back, give his wife and son their husband and dad back. I wanted to give my boys their band director back."
The transplant took place on April 11, 2022 and was performed by the father/son duo Drs. E.N. Scott Samara and Shea Samara. It was a complete success. Sharp is once again directing band competitions and concerts, and is feeling better than he has in years. As for Dennis and Rachel, they say they consider each other family now. "Looking back, it is easy to see that this was all orchestrated by God," declares Allen. "He had been laying the groundwork for years, all we had to do was be open to it."
They hope by sharing their story during National Donate Life Month, they can convince others to be organ donors.
Oklahomans have three options to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor. Residents can sign-up when renewing their driver’s license, visit LifeShareRegistry.org to sign up online, or call 800-826-LIFE (5433) and request a donor registration form.
