Amber LaPonsie (left) donated her kidney to Kati Manitowabi, both of Kincheloe, Tuesday, February 9. Friends, family, and community members are supporting the two by making donations. Two young Kincheloe women who attend church together now have an even stronger bond than their friendship, the donation of a kidney.

When Amber LaPonsie, 20, learned that her friend, Kati Manitowabi, had kidney failure, she quickly came forward to donate one of her own.

Miss Manitowabi, 14, is a student at Mount Zion School at the Open Door Baptist Church in Sault Ste. Marie. Like most girls her age, she enjoys spending time with her friends, going for long walks, and talking with them by telephone. She became ill four months ago with symptoms that the family first thought might be mononucleosis, and tests revealed that her kidneys were not properly developed. She was airlifted to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, where she spent three weeks, and since has returned to the hospital there every few weeks while undergoing dialysis treatment.

Pastor Jonas Moses of the church said Ms. LaPonsie's decision to donate an organ is not surprising. Both Ms. LaPonsie and Miss Manitowabi have attended church together there for years.

"When we heard about it, we thought it was something she would do," Mr. Moses said. Ms. LaPonsie is known to have a strong character and to be very generous to others, he added. Many from the church have made donations to support the girls' travel to the Grand Rapids hospital last week.

Janet Manitowabi, Miss Manitowabi's grandmother, said the young patient has an outgoing, friendly personality and many friends, including adults as well as people of her own age. Mrs. Manitowabi was ecstatic when she heard Ms. LaPonsie planned to help her granddaughter. Like the pastor, she was not surprised by Ms. LaPonsie's decision. When Ms. LaPonsie began attending church at Open Door Baptist, she and the Manitowabi family became close.

"To us, Amber has been a part of the family the moment she walked through the door," Ms. Manitowabi's grandmother said. "So I don't have one granddaughter going under the knife, I have two of them."

Ms. LaPonsie is the mother of an 18-month-old girl, Ryan Nicole. Mrs. Manitowabi said friends and family members will help her care for her child while she spends six weeks recovering from the operation.

Joan Reed, Ms. LaPonsie's grandmother, told The St. Ignace News she feels "great admiration" for the decision. Mrs. Reed is supportive of the opportunity to save somebody's life. A close friend of hers received a kidney donation once, so she understands how important it is and the effect the donation has on both parties.

After the surgery, the two girls hope to be in the same hospital room together following the operation, Mrs. Manitowabi said.

"That's going to be dangerous, those two in a single room," she joked.

Ms. LaPonsie told The St. Ignace News Wednesday, February 3, she feels comfortable about the operation. She was glad to hear that her blood type is compatible with Miss Manitowabi's.

The transplant surgery was set for Tuesday, February 9 (after newspaper press time).

Many from the church have made donations to support the girls' travel to the Grand Rapids hospital. Many friends from the community also planned to travel to the hospital to be with the family during the surgery, Mrs. Manitowabi told The St. Ignace News Thursday, February 4.

Donations toward expenses for Ms. LaPonsie or Miss Manitowabi may be made at Chippewa County Credit Union; specify the Amber LaPonsie account.