Phoenix firefighter donates kidney to husband
SURPRISE, Ariz. - Firefighters dedicate their lives to saving strangers, but when a first responder in Surprise needing saving himself, the hero turned out to be his own wife.
The backstory:
Madison Greer and Robert Coleman Jr. met in the gym, but their lifestyles brought them together.
"We found out that we both had the same dream of becoming a firefighter, so I kind of used that as my way in to ask her out, basically," Coleman told Fox 10.
That dream was soon realized, with Madison joining the Phoenix Fire Department and Robert going to Surprise.
"It works very well," Coleman said, "because we can just talk to each other about what we're going through."
What Happened:
The couple married in September 2025, but months before, Robert was diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney disease, having to go on dialysis soon after.
"I'm 31 years old, and it's not a life that you want to live," Coleman said. "That's when we started really searching for a transplant donor," Greer said.
Match Made:
Madison applied to see if she was a match, desperate to see her husband return to the man she knew.
"Just everything he loved kind of just started to stop, so it was heartbreaking for me just to see that, just [be]cause I know how active he is," Greer said. "I got the call, and I was a direct donor match for him."
The weeks leading up to the surgery were emotional.
"How would I feel if something happened to my wife when she was trying to help me?" Coleman said.
What they're saying:
But Madison was determined.
"The one thing that just stuck out the most for me was, he's going to get better tomorrow," Greer said. "Once I saw the smile on his face, I was just like, he just looks like a new person, like the person I met when I first met him."
"As soon as they rolled me into her room and she just lit up. It just made me feel complete at that point," Coleman said.
Dig deeper:
The couple says their lives have only improved since.
"It's just such a huge relief that we can, just like, live life again," Greer said.
They’d like everyone to know how life-changing kidney donation can be. "Maddie literally gave me a second shot at life," Coleman said.
What's next:
After they’re fully recovered, Robert and Madison say they’re looking forward to going back to work, traveling, and just enjoying life again.
What you can do:
Family members have started a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Surprise firefighter Robert Coleman Jr., Phoenix firefighter Madison Greer, and a family GoFundMe page.