Jim McIntire opened his eyes to a familiar face. Standing before him, next to his hospital bed, was his best friend, Curly Weber – the man to whom he had just donated a kidney.

”His outcome from the surgery was noticeably instant,” said McIntire.

“Everything went fine. The surgery was a success and it was well worth it.”

McIntire, a Bow police officer, donated his kidney to Weber, his best friend for more than 20 years and 13 years his senior.

“It’s a miracle that things all worked out the way that they did with Jim and I being friends, his kidney matching mine, the cooperation of the Bow Police Department and the support of everyone involved; it just worked out extremely well,” said Weber.

After he woke from surgery, Weber was up for roughly 24 hours and wanted to be there to thank McIntire when he regained consciousness from his surgery.

The two men spent the next four days together, walking around the hospital and working hard to get back into shape.

“They say it’s more difficult for the donor at first, which it was. But after the third day, he passed me by which was definitely good to see,” Weber said.

After spending two weeks at Weber’s Wisconsin home and a couple of weeks in New Hampshire, McIntire returned to work in early November, just a month after donating his kidney.

At first, McIntire took on a light work load and attended a two-week investigative training course. By mid-November, he was back full time.

Chief Jeff Jaran’s primary concern was getting McIntire back to his family. But from a professional point of view, Jaran said he is amazed by McIntire’s ability to recover.

“We’re thrilled to have him back in one piece and it’s really a credit to his conditioning and the shape he keeps himself in to see him recover so quickly,” said Jaran.

He also commended the department for stepping up and filling McIntire’s shifts during his absence.

“It certainly makes it special at this time of year to be able to have a department Christmas party and have (McIntire) back in uniform without missing a beat, so it’s great to see him back with the (police) family.”

Weber, on the other hand, plans to return to work soon after undergoing successful hernia surgery, which was a result of the initial kidney operation.

“I feel tremendous and it’s mostly a lot of little things that when your in the hospital you notice, but that might not make a difference to a lot of other people.” Weber said.

Weber noticed positive changes such as warmth in his hands, which had been cold for some time due to anemia.

“My energy level is way up and I’m just extremely grateful to Jim,” he said. “I’m very happy to have him as a friend and I always have been. I’m sure we’ll be friends the rest of our lives.”

McIntire said the experience has been an eye-opening and gratifying time in his life.

“Everything has gone a lot better than expected. The healing has been right on track and I am confident my physical abilities are as good as before. There hasn’t been anything adversely affecting my daily function or life at all,” he said.

McIntire hopes his experience will serve as motivation to others.

“If you’re ever faced with a friend or loved one who needs this kind of help, I wouldn’t hesitate at all because it really doesn’t effect your life as a donor and if you’re in good shape you can recover from it pretty quickly, “ said McIntire.

Weber feels the same way.

“Many others can do the same for other people,” said Weber. “Jim’s moving on to live a normal life with one kidney and so am I. Many people could benefit from this knowledge and it’s a great lesson for all of us, especially around the holidays.”