Woman Receives Life-Saving Kidney From Mother After NJ Senator Intervenes

BERLIN N.J. (CBS) -- A life-saving kidney transplant has finally happened for a woman whose family first tried to find help on Craigslist from a stranger. When that didn't work her mother tried to be her donor but was denied entry to the United States.

It was a United States senator who ultimately got things fixed.  We first told you about this New Jersey patient a little over a year ago.

The transplant that came together through Craigslist was stopped at the last minute. Then her mother turned out to be a perfect match, but the operation only happened after an international drama.

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"Finally we won together," says Nina Saria.

It was a long fight to save Nina's life with a kidney transplant that finally happened last month. "I want to thank everyone involved in this case," she said.

The donated kidney came from Nina's mother who lives in the Republic of Georgia.

The State Department refused to let her mom into the United States, fearful she'd stay because of the family connections.

That's when New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez turned to the Department of Homeland Security seeking an emergency travel document called humanitarian parole.

"It's considered an extraordinary measure," said Senator Menendez. "This is not the way the system should work."

Nina, who is a U.S. citizen was scheduled to get a kidney from Glenn Calderbank back in December of 2015. Calderband was a stranger who saw an ad on Craigslist for a kidney that had been placed on the site by Nina's desperate husband.

"I knew I was a match from the second I saw that," said Glenn.

Glenn's first wife also had received a kidney transplant, but had died.

At the last minute, a medical complication prevented the transplant with Glenn. That's when Nina's mom became the only hope.

"It's been very difficult for us but we kept fighting," she said.

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Nina's mom, who is a nurse, was only temporarily allowed into the United States for the transplant.

"I want to thank grandmom for saving my mom," said Nicolas, Nina's 8-year-old son. "Now we can swim and have snowball fights."

Nicolas said he was relieved his mom no longer needed dialysis for the autoimmune disease that destroyed the 34-year-old woman's kidneys.

"It makes me happy these people cared about my health," she said.

Nina and her mom are both doing well as they recover from the transplant surgeries. Nina's mother is headed back to Eastern Europe in a few days.

Nina by the way is thinking about someday becoming a dialysis nurse.