August 17th 2023.
Welcome to Soul Mates, The Agency's weekly friendship series, where friends share the stories of how they met.
Erin Francis was just five years old when she started complaining of joint pain. After a trip to the hospital, she was diagnosed with a rare disease called HSP. It caused inflammation and damage to her capillaries, and doctors warned that she may develop kidney issues later on in life.
At 12 years old, Erin started to get UTIs, and her health had to be monitored every four months. She was never told that she would need a kidney transplant one day.
Erin married her partner Rich when she was 24, and the pair were looking forward to their life together. But just a month later, she had a routine check-up that changed everything. Her blood pressure had skyrocketed, and her creatinine levels were through the roof. Doctors ordered an emergency biopsy, and she found out that her kidneys were so scarred and shrunken that they looked like walnuts.
Erin was put on dialysis and the transplant list as soon as possible. She was shocked and devastated, and had no idea that she was sick. She was only 24 and had just gotten married, and her life was suddenly turned upside down.
Her family and friends were tested to see if they would be a match for a transplant, but no one was. Rich took to Facebook to look for donors, and that's when Breanna Sipple, 30, saw the post. She felt an overwhelming connection to Erin, even though they had never met.
The girls met for the first time at a charity run. Breanna was tested to see if she was a match, but she was turned down due to high blood pressure. She was frustrated, as she knew it was only spiking due to anxiety in the hospital.
Thankfully, Erin and Breanna are both happy and healthy today. The girls remain friends, and Breanna says she was meant to be Erin's donor from the start.
Erin Francis was just five-years-old when she started complaining of joint pain. After a trip to the hospital, she was diagnosed with HSP, a disease where the capillaries become inflamed and damaged. For the next twelve years, she was monitored every four months, but never told she would need a transplant one day.
In June 2016, just a month after her wedding, Erin went for a routine checkup and her world was turned upside down. Her blood pressure and creatinine levels were too high - a sign her kidneys were failing. She was sent for an emergency biopsy and was told her kidneys were so damaged they were the size of walnuts. She was put on dialysis and put on the transplant list as soon as possible.
Desperate for a transplant, Erin's family and closest friends were tested, but no one was a match. Her husband Rich took to Facebook, sharing a post looking for donors. It was this post that Breanna Sipple, 30, saw while scrolling on her phone, lying in bed one night.
Breanna felt a strong connection to Erin, even though she was a complete stranger. She called her mother to ask what her blood type was, and found out that it was O+, just like Erin. She began the process to get tested, but not everyone was as enthusiastic. Despite this, she documented her process online via video vlogs, and Erin was none the wiser.
Unfortunately, after six months of testing, Breanna was turned down for the transplant due to high blood pressure. She was frustrated, knowing that the reading was only high due to hospital anxiety.
However, their story doesn't end there. After hearing Breanna's story, another woman came forward to get tested and was found to be a match. After the successful transplant, Erin and Breanna finally met for the first time at a charity run. Today, they are both happy and healthy.
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