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Doctor Donates Kidney To Save Colleague's Life

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (CBS) -- It's not unusual for a doctor to save someone's life -- but Dr. Colleen Coleman did so by donating her kidney to another doctor.

The 51-year-old surgeon donated her kidney to 45-year-old anesthesiologist Brian Dunn. The two had been friendly for more than a decade, working across the operating table from each other, but never friends, reports The Orange County Register. Now, they are forever connected by her kidney.

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Coleman got emotional when she received Dunn's e-mail thanking her for saving his life.

"I am so excited about what a new kidney will mean to my life. First and foremost, it will greatly prolong my life. I've been told that every year on dialysis takes three years off your life. The transplant list in California is about 15 years long – 15 years of dialysis wouldn't leave me much life even if I eventually got one through that route. The most distressing part of this process was thinking of my 7-year-old daughter, Caroline, growing up without a father. She's a tough kid, but she's also a 'daddy's girl.' I need to be there for her. And this kidney will help that be possible ... It's hard for me to rely on other people. I usually try to get through problems on my own - I guess I have some trust issues. I'm also a bit of a 'people-pleaser.' I want to be seen as self-sufficient and not a burden to anyone ... You got retested after they said you weren't a match the first time. You got all kinds of medical testing done to prove you could give a kidney. After a 9-month process, the procedure is going to happen. And it is largely due to your hard work and perseverance ... Monday, January 30th is a day I'll remember forever. It's the day that someone did something truly selfless for me. Colleen, you are an answer to prayer and an amazing example to everyone around you. Thank you for your sacrifice."

"That letter was very touching to me," she told The Orange County Register. "I did not understand how impactful it would be to help someone in this way,"

But the donation almost didn't happen.

A testing company had told the two doctors they weren't a match, but months later the company called back to say they had made a mistake.

Coleman said she also considered backing out.

"What if I died in the process?" she asked herself.

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But she tells the The Orange County Register she thought about her grandmother, who died of kidney failure. Coleman's mother had been 6 when her mother died. Brian Dunn's daughter then was 6.

"I didn't want his daughter to grow up without a dad," Coleman said.

Everything went as planned. Three weeks after the surgery, Dunn said he is feeling as vibrant as he is grateful.

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