'I Didn't Even Think About It': Woman Donates Kidney To Best Friend

They’ve been best friends forever, but neither of them ever thought their friendship would come to this.

“We met when we were working at Tyler Media, Chitra worked in sales. I worked in country radio,” said Carly Rae, Chitra Franks’ best friend. “Gone to many concerts together, we went through confirmation together, she’s my daughter’s godmother."

When Franks went through some health challenges, Rae was right there.

“Chitra has survived breast cancer. Chitra has survived a massive stroke,” said Rae.

“When I had the stroke, it was because of my diabetes and high blood pressure,” said Chitra Ayyaru Franks.

She fully recovered from those challenges, but the effects would show up at a later doctor’s visit.

“Who’s caring for your kidney?” Franks said her doctor asked her.

She was unaware at the time she had a problem with her kidneys, or how severe those problems were.

“At that time, I had like 19 percent functionality,” said Franks.

Franks needed a kidney transplant, immediately.

“To some extent I always knew that I would donate a kidney one day, because it was always on my heart,” said Rae.   

Not knowing that opportunity would present itself through her best friend.

“I didn’t even think about it,” said Rae.

Rae tested and to everyone’s surprise, she was a match.

“Just obviously I thought, it’s a different race, different genetics, you name it everything is different,” said Franks.

“We couldn’t look any more different, we’re from different backgrounds, nationalities,” said Rae.

But they had the most important thing in common.

“At the end of the day, we both bleed red,” said Franks.

Once they were determined to be a match, Rae was all in.

Rae doesn’t consider herself a hero.

“There’s nothing really heroic about it,” said Rae.

But she is a hero to Franks and her family.

“If everybody in this world had a friend like Carly, we would have more people alive,” said Franks.

The friends say this doesn’t take their friendship to another level; it merely shows the level that it has always been. The procedure is scheduled for February 5th.