![\"Coleman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/XRYHFILH7JCSFCQVMK6UVQVMOQ.png\")
Coleman was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease last April and Geer immediately volunteered to be tested as a potential donor.(The Coleman Family)<\/p>\nPHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 A Phoenix firefighter donated one of her kidneys to her husband, a Surprise firefighter, after he was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease and entered stage 5 kidney failure.<\/p>\n
Maddy Geer and Junior Coleman underwent surgery Thursday, and the couple is now recovering at home in Surprise.<\/p>\n
Coleman was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease last April and Geer immediately volunteered to be tested as a potential donor.(The Coleman Family)<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re 30 years old, we\u2019re healthy, we\u2019re fit, we work out all the time. You never expect something like this to happen,\u201d Geer said.<\/p>\n
Diagnosis came as a shock<\/p>\n
Coleman, 31, was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease last April. Geer, 29, said she immediately volunteered to be tested as a potential donor.<\/p>\n
\u201cEver since he got diagnosed with it, I was like, if I\u2019m a match, it\u2019s meant to be because I\u2019m going to give you my kidney,\u201d Geer said.<\/p>\n
The two were a match.<\/p>\n
Coleman said fatigue and blurry vision were the first signs that something was wrong. He had been in stage 5 kidney failure with uncontrolled blood pressure and required dialysis three times a week for three months before the transplant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat really threw us for a loop though is the fire department does very thorough physicals and nothing was caught with my blood pressure,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cBlood pressure was good when I was going into my doctor\u2019s meetings, but it was like at night, my blood pressure was just going out of control. So, that\u2019s what the scary part is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Surgery and recovery<\/p>\n
Coleman said he felt better immediately following the procedure.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt alive again,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cShe gave me a chance at a second life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Geer said the outcome makes the physical pain she now feels worthwhile.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing that I\u2019m going to make him feel better \u2014 it\u2019s just like that outweighed all the pain,\u201d Geer said.<\/p>\n
Back to work ahead<\/p>\n
Both said they are looking forward to returning to full duty once they have recovered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s our job. We love doing that for people. So, doing that for somebody that means the world to you, it just, it\u2019s the best feeling in the world,\u201c Geer said. <\/p>\n
Coleman said the experience changed his perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one\u2019s invincible. I portrayed myself as being invincible and that quickly crumbled,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful for my life. Makes me realize I\u2019ve married the right person.\u201d<\/p>\n
A GoFundMe<\/a> has been set up to help cover the couple\u2019s medical expenses.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n