Four years after beginning his journey toward a kidney transplant, Eric Meulemans picked up the phone to find his brother Gary on the other end of the line. “Eric,” he said, “I am your perfect match. I want to give you one of my kidneys.”

The transplant, which happened at Froedtert Hospital just last week was the culmination of years of treatment, during which Eric’s wife Kathleen was glad to serve as caregiver.

“I don’t like to do medical things, but there’s a whole lot of difference when you love somebody and they’re struggling; you just do it. You learn how to do it, and it becomes a part of your life,” she said during her stay at Kathy’s House.

Kathleen was grateful that she could stay nearby during the procedure, which required the couple to travel from their Sheboygan home. She says she’s always stayed with Eric during treatments and throughout their 18-year marriage.

At Kathy’s House, she also had the quiet she needed to reflect and rest. “It really does feel like whoever’s there really cares and wants to be there and wants to do anything they can to help you,” she said as they prepared to head home.