Couple shared a kidney, and now wedding vows

As Kay Heitmuller and Fred Unz stood at the altar Friday afternoon, their pastor told them about the sacrifices married couples have to make.

The two already have a fair idea. Last year, Heitmuller, 70, gave Unz, 77, one of her kidneys after his only functioning kidney started to fail about three years ago.

That transplant made Friday's moment possible. As about 85 people watched inside St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sayville, Heitmuller and Unz held hands and said their vows.

"You know what? It was just a miracle," Heitmuller said afterward. "When you love someone, you're ready to give mind, body and soul."

Heitmuller and Unz, who are both widowed, had seen each other in church, but first spoke during the spring of 2007. Unz says it took years for him to work up the nerve to approach her. "I was trying to think of fancy things to say, and the simplest thing was, 'Hi,' " he said.

They quickly hit it off. "He's been busy ever since then," said Jacki Weisberger, 46, of Bellport one of Unz's daughters.

"We have to schedule appointments," quipped his other daughter, Jennifer Fee, 45 of East Moriches.

Unz had started on dialysis earlier in 2007. His body had relied on one working kidney his entire life, and doctors told him that it was beginning to lose function, his daughters said.

But Unz was adamant with his family: He didn't want a kidney transplant.

"I said, 'Give it to somebody who'll do something with their life,' " he said Friday.

Heitmuller changed his mind. She persuaded him to sign up on a transplant waiting list, then asked to be tested to see if she was a match.

In July last year, doctors at Stony Brook University Medical Center performed the transplant. Both recovered quickly, with no lasting effects.

On Friday, a now-healthy Unz stood at the front of the church as Heitmuller, wearing a cream-colored dress with a lace top, walked up the aisle.

As they stood at the front of the church, their pastor, Brian Noack, spoke of the importance of love.

"Perhaps there is no greater gift than the love that is shared," he said, before adding that there were also "other things you have shared."

Heitmuller's sister and matron of honor, Peggy Arciero, of West Islip said she was hesitant at first about the transplant but not of the relationship. She said she soon realized the two, who will live in Oakdale, were a perfect match.

"He was looking around to see who had a good kidney," Arciero joked. "And she was looking around to see who was a good cook."