DALLAS — Jacob and Soma Mani have a lot to be thankful for and it starts with each other.
The two were arranged for marriage, as is common in their home country of India, in 1992. Six years later they moved their family to the U.S. and Texas.
It was a match made 33 years ago that would prove crucial for another kind of match made last year. Soma decided to donate her kidney when Jacob's kidneys were failing.
Both are pharmacy technicians for DFW-area hospitals. Jacob Mani works at Parkland and Soma is at UT Southwestern.
When Jacob got sick from COVID in 2021, his health spiraled.
"It was too bad. It was too bad. I almost ventilated," he told WFAA.
It would take more than a month for Jacob to fully recover. Soma said it was a very scary time for the family.
"I told [the children] our God is a great God. He is a healer," Soma said.
It took months for Jacob to fully recover from COVID, but it took a toll on his body. More than a year later he was back in the hospital because his kidneys were failing.
"COVID didn't help but the primary cause was more related to diabetes," said Joe Lockridge, a transplant doctor at Parkland Hospital.
Jacob told WFAA his kidney function was between 12% and 5%. Jacob Mani needed a kidney transplant quickly. Doctors said he had between a month to three months before suffering kidney failure.
The family was prepared to schedule dialysis appointments, but at the same time were exploring transplant options.
"That was the only option I had. Otherwise, I have to go to dialysis," Mani said.
But being a transplant match is tricky. The donor must have a similar blood type, the recipient cannot make antibodies against the donor, and the donor must be healthy before enduring the procedure.
The Manis said several people, including his daughters and a brother, were willing to give up their kidney. Soma said one day she felt God speaking to her and that moved her to make the decision to donate her kidney. Soma says she worked out six days a week, and even experimented with Zumba, to get in shape for the surgery.
"[My husband] said, 'no way, no way,' because he doesn't want to hurt me," she recalled.
"That's the mark of a strong family network and strong support system," Dr. Lockridge said, referring to Soma's willingness to go through the surgery to donate her kidney to her husband.
Soma's donor surgery and Jacob's transplant surgery happened within hours of each other on November 8, 2023. The donor surgery happened at the hospital where she works. And, the transplant surgery happened at Parkland where Jacob works.
"It's sort of a Harry Hines motorcade," the doctor laughed.
Jacob will make a full recovery. Both have returned to jobs at their respective hospitals. This is Parkland's second living donor transplant in four months. Before that, it had been six years.
"[My wife] always told me, it's ok. I am ready and she encouraged me," said Jacob Mani.
"It's a common good we can all get behind. It's also a love story," said the doctor.