Crystal Enns was 14-years-old when she got a nosebleed so bad that she didn’t go to school, according to CBS News.
That very nosebleed saved her life as well as those of her parents, as it led doctors to diagnose her with a rare kidney disease as well as kidney tumors in both of her parents, according to Buzzfeed.
“She had never had a bloody nose before,” Crystal’s mother, Cristy Enns, told BuzzFeed Life in an email regarding the January 2013 nosebleed.
“It lasted 40 minutes and she missed school all day because she kept spitting up blood — it was not normal. We called our family doctor and took her in for labwork, and the results came back indicating kidney problems, so they sent us to a pediatric nephrologist.”
When doctors informed the Texas teenager’s parents that she would need a transplant, both parents reportedly began the intensive screening process to see if they could be possible donors. After Cristy’s screening, doctors reportedly discovered a suspicious spot on her kidney.
Crystal’s dad, Mark, was screened soon after, which led to doctors to discover that he had kidney cancer.
"The doctor that called said, 'This is lights and sirens. This is top of your 'to do' list. This needs to come out right away. This doesn't look good,'" explained Mark.
"The idea is that we're going to go in and do something that can be life-saving for our daughter, only to be told 'this may have saved your life,' because I would never have been tested otherwise."
Although finding out that they both had the same type of kidney cancer was “very scary,” Cristy and Mark expressed that they were “extremely grateful” for discovering the news regarding their conditions as they had no idea prior to the screenings.
As for Crystal, her aunt, Cristy’s sister, was the perfect match and was able to donate a kidney in April.
"The morning after the transplant she woke up and she said 'I'm not nauseous!'" recalled Cristy.
"She could eat, she was hungry... it was such an answer to prayer."
