Friendship between Cubs fans turns into a life-saving kidney donation after meeting in spring training
Cubs fans create a bond through kidney donation
Two women who met through a shared love of the Chicago Cubs are forever linked after a life-saving kidney transplant after meeting in Arizona during spring training. FOX 10's Mark Martinez has more.
MESA, Ariz. - Two women who share a love for the Chicago Cubs now also share a kidney.
A spring training game in Arizona brought them together and saved a life.
When Denise Vasquez and Cathy Weadley met in 2022 at the Cubs spring training park, they had no idea that three years later they would be celebrating another season as friends with a life-long bond.
The backstory:
"We met collecting autographs at Sloan Park," said Cathy.
"She came over and approached us and invited us to come over to the tent and meet the club and the 400 family and they were all a great group of people," said Denise.
Years before they met, Denise had been diagnosed with a rare and debilitating kidney disease.
"They basically gave me a ten-year life span," said Denise.
But that didn't stop her from making her annual trip to Arizona for Cubs spring training.
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"When I was diagnosed, you need to have a passion and my passion was the Cubs," she said.
Timeline:
In 2020, Denise moved here from California so she would never miss a game. A decision that also saved her life.
In 2023, when Cathy learned Denise needed a transplant, she knew more than baseball had brought them together.
"They were talking about putting advertising on the back of their car and I said, ‘what do you need,’ and she said, 'I'm O-positive,'" Cathy said.
"So I applied and eventually, here we were having surgery January 7."
Last month, thanks to Cathy and the medical team at St. Joseph’s, Denise got her kidney.
What they're saying:
"Its doing it's job, all my labs are great," said Denise.
"She's a part of me or I'm a part of her?" said Cathy.
The transplant not only gave Vasquez a new lease on life, but the ability to go to another Cubs game with her now life-long friend.
"It's a really cool friendship," said Denise. "To know someone would go above and beyond to do something like that, it's great."