Kicker: A friend indeed

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Thirty-five years ago, Pennsylvania high school senior Shawn Moyer was in a bit of a bind. His prom date had just bailed on him for another guy.

Enter junior Elena Hershey, the backup date, set up by mutual friends. Audio from WHTM-TV:

AUDIO: She was a remarkably nice person. She was pretty and she was smart.

He was student council president, he was most likely to succeed…

They had a great time, then went their separate ways. Moyer became a doctor. Hershey moved to Colorado.

Decades passed.

But then, a twist: mutual friends mentioned to her that Moyer was in trouble: on dialysis, waiting for his third kidney transplant since the age of 16.

HERSHEY: I had already planned on donating a kidney so I was glad I heard about that so I could offer my kidney to him.

She wasn’t a match, but that didn’t stop her. Through a donor swap program, her kidney went to a stranger, moving Moyer up the list. Then in February, he got the call:

HERSHEY: He texted me and I saw it and I caught my breath and I started sweating a little bit and crying a little bit.

The best part? Moyer received his transplant late last month. He’s recovering well.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: From backup prom date to lifesaving backup plan.

MAST: Not bad!

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.