I told him, um, I would be first in line to be tested, linda Whittle says her brother's kidney started to fail because of his diabetes. I said, sure. You know, honestly, never thinking that I would be *** match with her donation to her brother. She started what would become *** family tradition of saving lives. Whittles granddaughter Katrina ness signed up for the be the match donor registry after her sister. Also *** donor told her about it. She said *** year or two went by before she heard she was *** match for someone ness donated her stem cells to *** stranger. *** man she met about *** year after saving his life. It was just like it was meant to be and I cried and he just um said, you'll never understand what you did ness and her recipient keep in touch. He was even at her wedding, the altruism on her side has changed both families, but there can be barriers to making certain donations specifically for bone marrow or blood stem cells. Currently there is no law that says an employer has to allow their employee too. Um, give them the time off. Tessa's mother mary Dickinson said she cannot be *** donor because of her age and her health, but she wanted to join her family and helping others. She became an ambassador for the be the match donor registry, fighting for Congress to pass the lifesaving leave act that would give people guaranteed time off for these donations. They estimate about 40 hours. That's what they're asking for in the, in the bill is to have 40 hours time secured without losing their jobs. Some people actually have to be flown to different places and that would then require *** lot more time off. Your job. Dickinson said there's already *** law that offers job protection for many kinds of donations but it doesn't apply to all of them. It needs to be amended to cover people who donate blood cell products. The lifesaving leave act was introduced in the house earlier this year but it has *** ways to go before possibly becoming law. But this family said no one should ever have to choose between keeping *** job and saving *** life. I got to walk into that hospital that day and I got to walk out of that hospital that day. These people stay in the hospital for months and months and may never walk out of those hospitals. So I do it again and again in cedar rapids, molly swing case. Er G. T. V. Nine News