Mary Zeh joked that she and her sister, Ellen Kwdis, hated each other growing up.

"We were very different people," she said.

She was the quiet and reserved one and her sister, the outgoing, social one.

But despite their clashing personalty traits, the sisters, and their brothers, all shared a special bond and a deep love no amount of sibling rivalry could break.

"Even though we are so different, there's nothing we wouldn't do for each other."

In 2004, those words were proven when Ellen gave her sister the ultimate gift, the gift of life.

Mary, at age 17, was diagnosed with Membranoprolif-erative Glomerulonephritis, a disease characterized by the thickening of filters in the kidneys, following repeated urinalysis tests, which showed high levels of protein. Though she had no symptoms, a kidney biopsy confirmed the presence of the disease.

"The actual biopsy was bad," she said, but the diagnosis didn't bother her much because, at the time, she felt fine.

"At that age you're not thinking long-term. You think you are indestructible," she said.

"I didn't let it bother me too much."

It wasn't really until she wanted to have children that it began worrying her.

Though doctors always said a kidney transplant was inevitable and would be needed probably within 10 years of the initial diagnosis, the disease didn't progress as fast as they had thought.

When she became pregnant at 37, however, and her daughter was born prematurely, her kidneys never bounced back. A year or two after her daughter was born, she was put on the transplant list.

All of her brothers, as well as Ellen, were tested to see if they could donate a kidney to Mary and all were matches, her brother being a perfect match. However, because he didn't pass the physical, he was unable to donate.

Another brother was also eliminated due to high blood pressure. Ellen was next in line and she passed the physical exam with flying colors.

The surgery was originally scheduled for May 2003, but Mary found out she was pregnant again. How-ever, she lost the baby at 28 weeks and later went on dialysis.

"A lot went on during that time. It was very rough," she said.

But life would soon get better for Mary. In the spring of 2004, she was rescheduled for the surgery that would transplant the kidney she desperately needed from her sister into her own body.

"When (Mary) first talked about it, I was hesitant only because my kids were younger," Ellen said of the decision to donate.

"The second time, after she lost that baby and seeing what she went through, I told my husband I was going to do it."

Before the operation, she said a nurse friend printed out information about what to expect after the surgery, but she never even looked at it.

"I didn't even read it," she said. "I wasn't nervous. I wasn't scared. I just went and did it."

Like any kidney donation, the operation was harder on Ellen than it was for Mary. Because the operation requires taking the kidney by cutting through the abdominal wall, she was in pain for several months as her abdomen healed.

Though she went back to work in six weeks, she said she wasn't at full-strength for about eight months.

Despite the long recovery time, Ellen said she'd do it again in an instant if she had to.

"I wish I had more to give out, actually. I would give her whatever she needed."

Mary said she and Ellen were close before, but the operation made her appreciate and love her sister even more.

"How can you express gratitude to someone who has given a piece of themselves to you? It's a miracle," she said.

"My sister, my family, has given me a new life."

Organ donation was not a new concept to the family when Mary was diagnosed as a teen. Their mother, a nurse for 30 years, always promoted organ donation, she said.

"Organ donation is a wonderful thing," Mary said.

Ellen agreed. She said many people are misinformed about organ donation and urges the public to seek out information and better educate themselves on the process of donating.

"It's a shame," she said, that people have misconceptions about it.

"It's a wonderful thing. I would like the public to understand it more. I think everyone should consider it."