When Denny and Sara Samara got married, many people around the world believed it was the luckiest day in a century.

But July 7, 2007 turned out to bring more luck than the Samaras thought. For them, it ended up resulting in a miracle.

Denny, 69, has been recovering for almost three months from surgery after receiving a transplanted kidney. The transplant, which so far has been successful, was made possible because of Sara.

The kidney was hers before she gave it to him.

“A part of her is a part of me now,” Denny said last week while sitting on a sofa in their Moravia home. “It really is a miracle.”

When the two met, Denny had been living with one faulty kidney for almost a decade. His right kidney was removed in 1998 after cancer was discovered, and problems began with the remaining one within a year.

Last fall, Denny started undergoing daily dialysis treatments due to complications with his kidney. He was on a donor list, but he had no idea if or when he would receive a transplant, he said.

Then the Samaras learned they have the same blood type, and that Sara was a pretty close match for tissue donations as well.

“I said let's see if we can do this,” she said. “I never had a second thought.”

However, Denny did have a second thought. He fought the idea for a while, he said. A combination of Sara's persistence and the pain from the dialysis process eventually brought him around, though he was still uneasy, he said.

“I was still afraid that something might happen to her,” Denny said.

Even after they decided to go for it, there were still obstacles to clear. Both of them had to go through dozens of tests over a six month period. Infections and bladder issues caused delays and complications.

The surgery was initially scheduled for September, and then was indefinitely delayed due to a found cyst. At that point, neither of them knew whether it was going to happen, Denny said.

But once everything cleared, the Dec. 2 procedure went smoothly. Sara was out of the hospital in three days, and Denny was out in less than a week. As soon as the surgeon attached the kidney, it began to function properly, Denny said.

Even Sara noticed a difference immediately.

“He had color in his face, and even under his fingernails,” she said. “Knowing the kidney took off like that, it was the best Christmas gift we could have had.”

Since the surgery, Denny said he has more energy than he has had for years. He takes walks, and he and Sara expect to be able to play golf together as the weather gets warmer -- a favorite pastime of theirs.

Denny will have to take dozens of medications every day in order to keep his body from rejecting the organ. But it is a small price to pay, he said, to get off that dialysis machine.

It is also a small price to pay for him to be able to hunt again. An avid sportsmen, Denny has enjoyed spending time tracking deer and turkey all his life in the woods of central New York. He hasn't been able to in more than three years, he said.

“I love to just see the sun come up,” Denny said. “There is a lot of beauty in the woods.”

Both Denny and Sara said they hope their experiences will encourage others to consider making themselves organ donors. They crossed paths with many people who were in desperate need of transplants during their own process.

They plan to spend as much time as they can through volunteering to get the word out.

“If you live one day, enjoy that day,” Denny said.

And donating, he said, can give someone that extra day.

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.