CINCINNATI — A sorority builds a bond between sisters — but through a kidney donation, one woman showed what it truly means to be your sister's keeper.
Jessica Hause and Megan Schultz graduated from Ohio State University and are members of Pi Beta Phi Sorority, Inc. These sisters haven't seen each other since 2007. While they enjoyed life after college, a few years later, in September 2023, Hause's life changed.
"Not really sure why it happened, and it came as a total shock," Hause said.
Hause, 36, was living her life to the fullest. After graduating from OSU, she moved to Phoenix for 11 years and then to Charlotte after the COVID-19 pandemic. She had no clue her health would go for a turn.
She started experiencing extreme fatigue, could not urinate and became numb from her knees down. Her brother rushed her to the hospital and that's when she was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease.
"I had to start dialysis immediately. I was 36 at the time. It came as a total shock," Hause said.
That prompted her to move back to Cincinnati with her parents as she underwent treatments, dialysis and a lot of doctors appointments at The Christ Hospital, where she was later told that she'd need a kidney.
"There's no like timeline for the treatment, like cancer patients and stuff. They go to chemo for a certain amount of weeks or a certain amount of treatments. This is forever until you get a kidney transplant," Hause said.
Hause went to social media and posted a pamphlet about living organ donation without specifying who it would be for.
Schultz instantly messaged Hause and asked how could she help. After several tests, she found out she was the perfect match.
"It started back in January when I sent the message saying I was willing to help. We traveled together, gone to ball games, done all kinds of Ohio State things together. And so, if it was she or her family members. I wanted to help," Schultz said.
On June 13, Schultz was notified she was a full match and FaceTimed Hause to tell her the news.
"It means so much more when you need something as life-saving as a kidney, that one of your sorority sisters that you pledge to be friends with your entire life steps up when no one else would," Hause said.
Now, they are forever connected.
"Being able to call someone and tell them that we're a match and we can move forward and do this, and knowing how her life had been put on hold up until then, it was like just being able to tell her that. It's indescribable," Schultz said.
The pair underwent transplant surgery on Dec. 13. Now, Hause hopes to help others experiencing the same journey.
"I want to do something within organ donation or kidney disease or kidney donation. Something to help people where I've had help, and help where people have changed my life and all the heroes I've come across," Hause said.
