A Perfect Match

Her one remaining kidney failed and her husband saved her life by giving her one of his

- By Kim Abrahams

THEY were teenagers when he pledged to do anything even give her a for her. part of himself if necessary.

And Sanjeev Deochand recently made good on that vow when he donated one of his kidneys to keep the love of his life alive.

For more than a decade his wife, Urisha, had been living with one kidney, but when it started to fail, he knew what he needed to do: get tested to see if he was a suitable donor.

And the results were textbook: he was a perfect match for his high school sweetheart.

Urisha and Sanjeev (both 32) recently went under the knife - he to get his kidney removed, she to receive the lifegiving gift of a brand-new organ.

Her husband's donation is the ultimate offering of love, Urisha says. I'm so thankful to him, she tells YOU from the couple's home in Verulam, north of Durban. We've been through so much together.

The couple met when they were both Grade 8 learners at Verulam Secondary School, and for Sanjeev it was love at first sight. He asked her to be his girlfriend at a mutual friend's party and they've been together ever since through thick and thin and in sickness and in health.