Wife gives him kidney, then that fails ...

Orange County Register | Eric Carpenter
Photo: Craig Hostert, center, received a kidney from both his son, Justin, left, and wife Kathleen. Kathleen gave her husband a kidney in 1998 and Justin gave him a kidney on Dec. 11.
LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

After his kidneys fail, his wife gave him one of hers. After that one gives out, what can be done?

FULLERTON â€" They became the face of organ donations in Orange County.

In 1998, Kathleen Hostert gave her ailing husband, Craig, one of her kidneys. Following years of dialysis to treat a genetic-kidney disease, he had a second chance at life.

They became ambassadors for kidney transplants â€" and for the growing need for organ and kidney donations.

Kathleen quit her job as an elementary school teacher and went to work full-time for Donate Life, a pro-organ-donation organization.

The Fullerton couple started a fundraiser run/walk to tell people about organ donations. In its first year at Cal State Fullerton, it attracted a few hundred people. Over the years, it grew into a massive event â€" the largest of its kind in California.

Last spring, Craig and Kathleen stood on the stage on the university's athletic field for the 10th annual event and addressed the crowd of 10,000 attendees and celebrated their good fortune.

Indeed, they had become the face of organ donations â€" and yet their story was about to take an even more dramatic twist.

They didn't know it, but that healthy kidney was failing.

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