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Husband Saves Wife's Life Upon Learning He Is Perfect Kidney Match

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — A local couple discovered that they match up in more ways than romance when a Riverside husband donated his kidney to his wife, once he learned he was a perfect donor.

Camille Crouch and her husband, Courtney, married five years after they met. Camille, who was diagnosed with lupus in her early teens, learned in Spring 2015 that her kidneys were beginning to fail.

"It was hard to work, because I was so tired," Camille said. "Just getting out of bed, (I was) in a lot of pain as well."

Camille was told she was in need of a new kidney.

That was when Courtney immediately requested to be screened as a potential donor.

"That was the best news, because he didn't hesitate at all," Camille noted.

There are approximately 20,000 people in the Los Angeles area who are waiting for a kidney, and the average wait time is about eight-to-ten years, according to transplant director Ronald Martin.

Days after originally learning that she was in need of a kidney transplant, Camille's doctor called her with the news.

"They said 'we got the results back on Courtney, and he's a match', and I fell on my knees and I started crying, and (was) just thanking God, over and over and over," Camille said.

It turned out the man Camille married would also be the one to save her life.

"I felt this was my opportunity to show how much I love her," Courtney said.

The transplant took place in June, and the couple went back to work just weeks afterward, with Camille's lupus in remission.

"They say you're together for a reason, and sometimes you don't know what that reason is."

For more information on ways to become a donor, including donor registration, visit Donate Life California's website here.

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