TAMPA, Fla. — A Manatee County woman has done something remarkable to help one of her neighbors. Marsha Davis donated one of her kidneys. That neighbor is Andy Goetz.

What You Need To Know

  • Andy Goetz needed a transplant because his kidneys had failed 

  • Neighbor Marsha Davis said she believes God prompted her to see if she would be a donor match 

  • Tampa General Hospital performed the transplant in April  

  • Both Goetz and Davis are doing fine, and Goetz has a hard time putting into words how much he appreciates what Davis has done for him 

Goetz was living in Illinois when his kidneys failed, and he had to go to dialysis several times a week to survive.

“Very heart-wrenching. Depressing,” he said. “Then, of course, the final thing is I’m going to die without a transplant.”

A couple of years ago, Goetz and his wife, Lisa, moved to a neighborhood in Parish, where they got to be friends with Davis and her husband, Frank. Marsha knew that Goetz needed a transplant, but Goetz didn’t talk about it that much.

One day Davis was going for a walk in the neighborhood when she said she believes God put something into her thoughts.

“Andy is sitting over there. He had just gotten back from dialysis,” she said. “ 'What am I waiting for? Why don’t I see if I can help him?' You never know unless you ask.”

Davis walked to Goetz’s house and told him she wanted to see if she was a match to be a donor. Goetz was shocked, but he called his transplant coordinator at Tampa General Hospital and they got the ball rolling.

“It was detailed, like 39 different tests,” Davis said about the testing to see if she would be a match for a kidney donation. “But it was easy. Because the end goal was worth whatever I had to do.”

When Tampa General informed Davis she was a match, she went to Goetz’s home to tell him the good news.

“And Andy’s head went down, and he sobbed," she said. "And then we all joined in, and we all sobbed.”

Doctors at Tampa General performed the kidney transplant in April, and it was a success.

"I’m so grateful that words, I can’t put it into words. God brought her into my life,” Goetz said.

“I’m not feeling proud, but I am feeling fulfilled,” Davis said. “It’s hard to describe in words when there are so many feelings that are so strong.”

Marsha Davis is Andy Goetz’s hero.

“Oh, definitely. Many times over. Many times over,” he said.

Davis and Goetz said they hope their story will encourage other people to become kidney transplant donors.