In October 2022, Krissy Miller stumbled upon a Facebook post detailing a man’s urgent need for a kidney. “I tried scrolling on, but I just kept getting drawn back,” said, Miller, a 49-year-old stay-at-home mother to four girls and a licensed social worker.
“I thought, ‘If that were my husband, I’d want someone to help.’ And then I thought, ‘If everyone thinks someone else can do it, no one’s going to do it.’ ”
She volunteered to be a kidney donor but was considered ineligible due to high blood sugar. She was advised that losing around 10 pounds could potentially lower her blood sugar levels, according to PEOPLE.
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“But you might as well say, ‘Lose a hundred lbs.,’ because I had tried before so many times,” she said. “And it was winter and I just didn’t want to feel like a failure.”
In the spring, Miller began hiking three to four days a week and practicing intermittent fasting, leading to a 37-pound weight loss. Although the idea of being a kidney donor persisted, she set it aside due to her busy life. On September 14, 2023, she started to pray while hiking the 2.2-mile Y Mountain trail in Provo, Utah.
“I decided to say a prayer — which isn’t a normal thing I do before hiking,” she said. “I said a specific prayer: Heavenly Father guide my thoughts to help me know if I should pursue this or if I just need to let it go. Help me know, help me.”
Miller met Shiller Joseph, 46, and his wife while hiking the Y Mountain trail that day. Noticing his Miami Heat jersey, she struck up a conversation.
Joseph, a father of three, explained he moved from Florida to Utah in March 2020, hoping for a faster kidney transplant.
Diagnosed with lupus at 20, Joseph’s kidneys failed, leading to weight gain, high blood pressure, and dialysis starting in 2021. Miller started to cry when she heard his story. She saw it as a sign.
“I remember thinking, ‘If I’m willing to donate to anyone, why not this person standing right in front of me?’ ” she said. “I felt like that was an answer to prayers.”
Joseph informed Miller that with his O+ blood type, the wait for a kidney in Florida would be six to eight years. Miller then revealed that she has the same blood type.
“She’s like, ‘I’m giving you my kidney,'” recalled Joseph, a former paramedic, volunteer firefighter and pastor. “That’s when my wife and I started to shed tears.”
After exchanging information, the two strangers ended up being a perfect match.
“It’’s really amazing,” said Dr. Donald Morris, 56-year-old kidney transplant director and a nephrologist who was a member of their care team at Intermountain Medical Center. “Statistically it’s quite rare that there’s such a great match.”
Joseph’s brother had offered to donate a kidney but was not a match, as siblings have about a one in four chance of compatibility. The likelihood of meeting a stranger while hiking who turns out to be a match is estimated by Morris to be “one in a million—or more.”
The kidney transplant between Joseph and Miller was performed on April 2, 2024, at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah. The two families have since become close friends, with Joseph referring to Miller as his sister and “angel.”
Joseph reports feeling healthier than he has in years, while Miller has returned to her active lifestyle. She enjoyed rafting, backpacking, hiking, playing football, and working outdoors throughout the summer.
“I feel great, but I feel better mentally and spiritually,” she said.
They share their story to help encourage others to become organ donors. “I wouldn’t want someone not to donate because they fear it’s this big scary surgery,” she said. “You recover and you go on with life.”
And while she may have lost a kidney, she gained new friends. “She’s amazing,” Joseph said. “It’s a modern-day miracle.”
