Zada Leonard of Cortez may be donating a kidney, but make no mistake about it — her gift is straight from the heart.

Leonard first learned of the plight of longtime Cortez resident Armando Garcia about a year and a half ago. Her son and daughter had been friends of Garcia’s daughters for a few years, but she had only known Garcia as an acquaintance through her brother-in-law, who attended church with him.

That all changed when she found out about the 55-year-old Garcia, who lost both kidneys four years ago.

Leonard said she put herself in his place and thought how awful it would be if she were not able to see her own kids grow up. Garcia’s oldest daughter recently graduated from high school and his other daughter just completed seventh grade. His wife, Cheryl, works at Vectra Bank.

Leonard immediately looked into the possibility of donating a kidney to him but was originally told she could not be a donor because she was not Hispanic and the organ might be rejected.

That didn’t stop Leonard from thinking and worrying about Garcia on a daily basis. They met last Christmas at church and she spoke with him about her desire to give him a kidney.

"I asked him if he would he take my kidney if I gave it to him," Leonard said. "He said, ‘Yes, yes’ and began hugging me."

Leonard then told Garcia that she couldn’t because she was not Hispanic but Garcia told her that no longer mattered because of advances in medicine and transplant technology.

Since then, Leonard has been through a flurry of tests that have confirmed that she has the same type blood as Garcia and readied her for the possible transplant, which could happen as early as mid-July. Leonard is gearing up for the last round of tests on him.

Leonard has a hypersensitive airway that can close up suddenly. Doctors want to make sure that won’t happen when she is put under anesthesia.

Leonard says she isn’t afraid of having the surgery, partly because she works at Southwest Memorial Hospital and knows about the process, but she expects her nervousness will increase as the time approaches.

She has only made one request of doctors.

"I told them (the doctors) not to stick any tubes down my throat while I’m awake because I have a terrible gag reflex," said Leonard.

Leonard’s desire to donate her kidney has never wavered despite the concerns of some friends, who raised questions about doing something so extraordinary for someone she hardly knows and not saving an extra kidney for her own possible health problems in the future or her children’s.

Yet, Leonard said she feels assured that if she or one of her own family members needed a donation, someone would step forward to help, just as she has.

"I’ve lived very well with one heart and will live very well with one kidney," she said.

Leonard says she has the opportunity to decide against the operation up until she is wheeled into the operating room, but it wouldn’t be right to go through the whole process only to withdraw at the end.

"The day I offered my kidney to him in church, I gave it to him," she said.

The surgery and transplant will take place at University Hospital in Denver. Leonard will have to stay in Denver two weeks after her discharge from University Hospital and Garcia will have to stay five weeks. He will be tested frequently following the surgery to ensure that his body is accepting the kidney.

If all goes well, the new kidney will dramatically improve the quality of life for Garcia, who has needed dialysis three times a week for the past four years. He recently had a separate surgery in Farmington and is trying to recover so he can be ready for the transplant.

The First Southern Baptist Church of Cortez, of which Garcia is a member, is working to defray housing costs for both patients while they recuperate in Denver. Pastor Jimmy Kennedy says that costs are covered through the surgery and they are trying to help with the post-operative care.

"We’re trying to see that the aftercare doesn’t set them back (financially) beyond their abilities," he said.

The church is setting up dual accounts at Vectra Bank in Cortez, one in each patient’s name, to help defray the Denver housing costs. Kennedy says the church has always supported Garcia during his illness. Some members even volunteered their time to drive Garcia to dialysis before Cortez had a clinic.