Firefighter Donates Kidney to Her Husband, a Fellow First Responder, After He Develops Rare Kidney Disease: ‘It’s Meant to Be’

“She gave me a chance at a second life,” the man said of his wife while speaking to a local outlet

NEED TO KNOW

• Arizona firefighter Maddy Geer donated one of her kidneys to her husband, a fellow firefighter, after a rare kidney disease left him in stage 5 kidney failure
• “If I’m a match, it’s meant to be,” Geer recalled saying when she learned her husband would require a transplant
• The couple underwent the surgery on July 16 and are hoping to return to active duty as soon as they can

An Arizona firefighter gave her husband — a fellow firefighter — one of her kidneys after he developed complications from a rare kidney disease. 

Junior Coleman, a firefighter with the Surprise Fire-Medical Department, first noticed something seemed off in the spring of 2025 when he began experiencing constant fatigue and blurry vision, according to AZFamily.com.

Coleman, 30, assumed something was off — but he never imagined the symptoms were the first signs of a rare kidney disease that would eventually leave him in stage 5 kidney failure. He was placed on dialysis three times a week and told he would ultimately require a kidney transplant.

“We’re healthy. We’re fit. We work out all the time. You never expect something like this to happen,” his wife, Maddy Geer, a firefighter with the Phoenix Fire Department, said while speaking to the outlet.

Geer, 29, went on to say that she immediately got tested to see if she was a donor match.

“Ever since he got diagnosed with it, I was like, ‘If I’m a match, it’s meant to be because I’m going to give you my kidney,’ ” she recalled.

The test confirmed that she was a compatible donor, and the couple underwent transplant surgery on July 16.

They are now recovering together at their home in Surprise, according to the outlet.

Looking back, Coleman said his diagnosis was most surprising given the fact that he receives regular physicals for his job in emergency rescue.

“What really threw us for a loop though is the fire department does very thorough physicals and nothing was caught with my blood pressure,” he said.

“Blood pressure was good when I was going into my doctor’s meetings, but it was like at night, my blood pressure was just going out of control. So, that’s what the scary part is,” he added.

Severe high blood pressure can damage the kidneys in a relatively short period of time, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

Coleman said he already feels a dramatic difference following the transplant surgery.

“I felt alive again,” he said. “She gave me a chance at a second life.”

For her part, Geer said seeing her husband begin to recover made the sacrifice worthwhile.

“Knowing that I’m going to make him feel better — it’s just like that outweighed all the pain,” she said.

Both firefighters told AZFamily they hope to return to active duty once they’ve fully recovered.

“That’s our job. We love doing that for people. So, doing that for somebody that means the world to you, it’s the best feeling in the world,” Geer said.

Coleman went on to say that his health journey has reshaped his outlook.

“No one’s invincible. I portrayed myself as being invincible and that quickly crumbled,” he said. 

“I’m so grateful for my life. Makes me realize I’ve married the right person,” Coleman added.

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Geer’s sister, Caitlin Driscoll, established a GoFundMe to help the couple as they heal.

“Your support will help ease the burden of lost wages, medical expenses, travel to appointments, and everyday household costs during their recoveries,” Driscoll wrote on the fundraising page.

“These two have spent their careers protecting and serving others. Now it’s our turn to stand beside them as they begin this life-changing journey,” she added.