Kidney transplant complete between musician who gave up tour, ex-fiance
PETALUMA, Calif. (KGO) -- Doctors at UCSF successfully carried out an unusual kidney transplant Tuesday between a Petaluma woman and her former fiance.
Someday, you may hear of singer/songwriter Daniel Burdick. He plays a sweet guitar and pairs it with a raspy, soulful voice, especially when singing these words:
"Hurts so bad, thinking of the times we had.
Can't help from feeling blue every time I think of you.
And you say you're done with me.
I was done, but now I see..."
That's from a song that Daniel wrote for his ex-fiancee, Sabrina Timms, with whom he fathered a daughter, Hope.
"We had a difference of opinions about what we wanted for the future," said Sabrina. "I wanted to settle down."
"And I wanted to follow my dreams," added Daniel.
"He wanted to do his music," she finished.
So much for what they had once hoped might be a perfect romantic match. Despite the break-up, Sabrina and Daniel remain close friends and co-parents.
They ended up being a perfect match again, but in a most unusual way.
In January 2013, doctors diagnosed Sabrina with double kidney failure. She went on dialysis and also on the list to find a suitable donor. The odds are long. Patients wait decades.
In searching for a match, doctors began with Sabrina's friends and family. Daniel took the test, too. Of all the millions of people in this world, he, her ex-fiance, turned out to be a perfect biological match.
"Daniel volunteered immediately," said Sabrina's mother, Julie Timms.
"I'm like the medicine she needs," Daniel said.
Sabrina came out of surgery Tuesday evening and Daniel is doing fine. Doctors say there are already indications the kidney is doing fine and working properly.
"That tour was my biggest dream," he said. "In the end, though, this is more important. She is my child's mother."
It's the concept of a perfect match that has come around full-circle. Having sacrificed a relationship for his music, now Daniel has given up that music for the very same woman's life.
