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Kidney donor forms bond with ex-husband's wife
Amanda McCowen, the ex-wife of Joshua Maples, donated a kidney to his current wife, Angela Maples, forging an unexpected bond of love and forgiveness within their blended family.
They are co-parents, and now, much more.
Angela Maples just received a new kidney and is looking forward to a new lease on life. Amanda McCowen was her ‘unlikely’ saving grace and kidney donor.
"I ended up getting a call from the care coordinator. She said,'You’re not just a match. You are a perfect match,'" said McCowen.
An unlikely match
What we know:
Angela and Joshua Maples are married. Amanda McCowen is Joshua’s ex-wife. This unique layer of their blended family life began where Angela’s nearly ended.
After a trip to Hawaii in 2022, symptoms of an autoimmune disease related to a genetic condition led to dialysis. Eventually, what she heard from doctors was even more grim.
Facing kidney failure
"Your kidneys are completely failing. We may need to talk about other arrangements. I knew what that meant. I didn’t have much time left," said Angela.
By this time, the relationship between Angela and Amanda had turned a corner.
"Like Angela mentioned, we were not best friends. We were not," said McCowen.
Healing, forgiveness, and friendship
What they're saying:
Both women say their story involves healing, forgiveness and now genuine friendship.
"We’ve been through so many coparenting situations in the last 10 years, some of them not so great honestly. It’s hard. Co-parenting is hard," said McGowen. "I joke that she is the tequila to my margarita."
"I knew it was God. There’s no other way to put it," said Joshua. "It’s been a lot of healing and growth. She does her clinics and Amanda and her, they both talk to each other several times a day, just checking in on each other, from big things to small things."
3 weeks post-op and looking ahead
Dig deeper:
Angela and Amanda are three-weeks post-op and though Angela has a while to go before she’s back in complete motion, the optimism is high.
"You know she’s been on 14 hours of dialysis a day. It’s just the most humbling experience of my life. It opened my eyes to how there are so many things we take for granted on a daily basis," said McGowen.
"The goal for me is to restore hope to the hopeless," said Angela.
The Source: Information in this article was provided from interviews conducted by FOX 4's Dionne Anglin.