In life’s struggles, Omaha couple find reason to give

And since 2008, the Omaha couple has regularly contributed to The World-Herald’s Goodfellows fund to help others, even though their family has faced its share of challenges.

The MacDonalds say they are “very fortunate” that their daughter, Heidi, is alive.

Heidi, who’s 50 and has had two kidney transplants, manages a Chico’s clothing store in a Kansas City suburb. In late September, she suffered a stroke while in Barcelona, Spain.

In the three months since, the couple have been encouraging Heidi and helping with her recovery. It didn’t cause any apparent physical or cognitive damage, Armel said, but the stroke affected her ability to speak.

Her words are coming back, but more slowly than they would like. Last week when the couple visited Heidi in Kansas City, she was able to say “waffle,” her father said.

“She’ll get a word, maybe every day, or every other day that we’re with her ... but some little ones like ‘left’ and ‘right’ she hasn’t been able to fully pin down. She got the word ‘Mom.’ She got that one last week, so that was a biggie for Maxine.”

That relationship between mother and daughter is special.

At 21, Heidi was diagnosed with lupus. In 2007, her health declined, requiring dialysis.

In 2008, Maxine donated a kidney to Heidi in a successful transplant operation at the Nebraska Medical Center.

That year, the MacDonalds donated $500 to Goodfellows in honor of their daughter’s successful transplant. Every year after that, they added a dollar to their check.

“We subscribe to ‘Pay it forward,’” Maxine said.

Yet, Armel said, “We know there are people who do a lot more than we do.”

Armel said they appreciate that The World-Herald continues to invite people to contribute to the Goodfellows campaign by telling the stories of those who give and of the people on the receiving end.

Goodfellows has been helping Omaha-area residents in crisis since the 1890s. It provides one-time emergency assistance for rent and utilities, distributes holiday meal vouchers and gives hats, gloves, coats and clothing to schoolchildren. The World-Herald entered into a partnership with United Way to operate Goodfellows in 2020.

The fundraising campaign is transparent, Armel said, and donors know where the money is going.

“Goodfellows does great stuff in the community, and we’re appreciative of the encouragement that the World-Herald has continued to give it,” he said.

And Heidi’s donated kidney? It functioned for more than 14 years before her health declined again.

In 2023, she was evaluated by the Mayo Clinic and accepted for a second kidney transplant. Her surgeon said neither her mother nor her father would have been a suitable match this time. He told them the chances of a kidney match with a donor were “one in a hundred million,” Armel said.

In a whirlwind trip to Rochester, Minnesota, she got a new kidney from a deceased donor.

“Heidi is very fortunate,” her father said. “And we are very fortunate: We have her still alive.”

This year, the MacDonalds donated to Goodfellows again. This time: $712. They sent along a note:

“In honor of our daughter Heidi’s 2nd kidney transplant, 7/12/23.”