God Made Us a Perfect Match: Angel Hinson’s Kidney Donation Story

On April 1, 1986, my sister, Megan, was born with a condition called transposition of the great arteries—a serious congenital heart defect where two main arteries (her aorta and pulmonary arteries) were switched/reversed, which leads to life-threatening complications.

She underwent open-heart surgery at just nine months old, and at age 19 received her first pacemaker. Four years later, doctors tried a different type of pacemaker, but after 10 months it became clear that it wasn’t doing enough to allow her to function normally.

She was put on the heart transplant list and lived at Johns Hopkins Hospital for a little over two months before they eventually found her a heart. We were so thankful for this miracle!

However, when you have an organ transplant you have to take anti-rejection meds, and those meds can eventually cause kidney failure. So, after 14 years with her new heart, my sister went into kidney failure.

Two years later, her kidney function had declined to the point that she needed to go on dialysis. When her numbers got to a certain point, she needed a kidney transplant.

Knowing that dialysis is not good for her heart, several of our family members started the testing process to see if we were a match to donate a kidney to my sister.

There was no hesitation in my spirit. Deep down inside I felt like I would most likely be a match and would be the one to donate.

After I was approved as a donor, I was set up with a donor mentor named Mimi. She was great! She had also donated a kidney and answered any questions I had. It was great to talk to someone outside of the transplant team who had already been through the process and experienced all the things I was about to experience. I was so glad to hear that I could continue to be active and exercise after the transplant as I had previously.

After weeks and months of lab work and testing, the transplant coordinator called to tell me that not only was I a match, I was a PERFECT match! She explained that siblings are often matches, but a perfect match was rare. I was so happy and thankful to Jesus! I immediately FaceTimed my sister and our parents and told them the great news. They all cried tears of joy and thankfulness.

We were so thankful to be able to secure a surgery date that wasn’t too far away, so Megan only had to be on dialysis for 77 days. I went for my evaluation at St. Vincent Hospital on Friday, February 6, 2026, and met with the whole crew: the transplant coordinator, the surgeon, the dietician, the pharmacist, and the social worker. It was a long day!

I was grateful to hear that the surgery could be done laparoscopically, which is a little easier to heal from. The surgery took place on Monday, May 11, 2026. Megan and I came in together with our husbands early that morning. It was an emotional day as we both got checked in and our family came in to pray with us and stay with us during that time.

We all prayed together before I was wheeled in to surgery. We said prayers of faith and gratefulness, thanking Jesus for making this miracle possible. He knew when He created us both that this would happen, and He made us a perfect match so her body would be able to receive my kidney.

Both our surgeries went great, and as soon as they put my kidney into her body and the blood started to flow through, it began working immediately! Thank you, Jesus!
We both really liked our surgeons and felt like the entire team was great. I was only in the hospital for one night and was able to go home the next day. My recovery took about four to six weeks.

I am so glad I chose to donate my kidney. I am thankful that God gave me such a strong peace about the donation surgery from the very beginning, and I am so thankful that I feel just as good as I did before donating. My sister’s kidney function is in the normal range now, and she is doing great. We couldn’t be more grateful!

About the Author

Angel Hinson grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, with her older brother and younger sister, Megan, who would later become her kidney recipient. She married her husband, Ronnie, at age 20, after meeting him at Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. After 16 years in youth ministry, they became Lead Pastors of Ellettsville First Assembly in Ellettsville, Indiana, in 2015. They have three boys: Jadon, who went to Heaven in 2002; Josiah, who graduated college in May 2026; and Joshua, who will graduate college in May 2027.

A lifelong runner, Angel competed in cross-country and track throughout high school and continues to run for enjoyment and health. Over the years, she has completed numerous road races, half marathons, a full marathon, and two sprint triathlons. One of the things that impressed her most about living kidney donation was learning that donors can remain active and exercise just as they did before donation.

Angel works full-time as a Branch Office Administrator at Edward Jones in Bloomington, Indiana, and is deeply involved in her church, where Ronnie serves as Pastor. She is the Worship Leader and leads a Women’s Connect Group every Wednesday night.

Angel loves being outdoors and spending time with her family and church family. She is grateful that she can use this story as a testimony to tell others about the goodness and faithfulness of God.