This holiday season, two colleagues at DTE are showing what it truly means to give a gift from the heart.
When one employee learned he was facing kidney failure, a co-worker quickly stepped forward in a way that would change both of their lives forever.
Data scientist Juan Sifuentes and his colleague, Hussain Mohammed, first met on DTE’s storm duty team.
Working long hours and responding to emergencies together, they built a strong connection over time.
“It’s nice working with the same person over and over again,” Sifuentes said.
Mohammed felt the same way.
“It’s hard to find a person like Juan in today’s day and life,” Mohammed said. “He’s like one in a million.”
While the two men shared a lot on the job, there was one thing Mohammed kept mostly to himself: he was living with a serious kidney condition.
Mohammed was diagnosed several years ago with IgA nephropathy, an autoimmune disease that affects the kidneys and is often hereditary.
“I was told about it like eight years ago. I have a condition called IgA nephropathy. It’s like an autoimmune disease. It’s usually, like, genetically passed down,” Mohammed said.
Earlier this year, doctors at Henry Ford Health told Mohammed his condition had worsened.
He was in kidney failure and facing a difficult choice: stay on dialysis indefinitely or receive a kidney transplant.
Around that time, Sifuentes called Mohammed to see if he wanted to work storm duty one weekend.
Instead of hearing his colleague’s familiar voice from home, he learned Mohammed was in the hospital — and had already been there for four days.
That phone call set everything in motion.
Sifuentes decided to take steps to become a living donor.
According to Mohammed, Sifuentes already had a desire to help others in this way.
“He said he actually wanted to do this before he even knew about me, because he is philanthropic in nature,” Mohammed said. “And then when he found out about me, he said, ‘Let me go do some tests to see if we are compatible.’”
After a series of medical evaluations, doctors delivered remarkable news: the two co-workers were a match.
In September, Sifuentes donated one of his kidneys to Mohammed in a transplant surgery; it was a gesture Mohammed describes as nothing short of extraordinary.
“He was, like, magnanimous enough to give me his kidney,” Mohammed said. “He was, like, really, really a blessing for me.”
The successful transplant has given Mohammed a new lease on life and deepened the bond between the two colleagues.
“My life is a blessing. He was a blessing to me,” Mohammed said. “He came up like an angel into my life.”
Sifuentes hopes their story encourages others to consider living organ donation.
“I do think more people should look into being living donors,” Sifuentes said. “There’s so many people out there of all ages waiting for a kidney. You can change someone’s life.”
As families and friends gather for the holidays, Mohammed and Sifuentes are reminding others that some of the most powerful gifts don’t come wrapped in boxes.
They’re acts of courage, compassion, and love that can quite literally save a life.
Both men continue focusing on recovery.
Doctors have advised Mohammed to avoid large crowds, for now.
He says he feels 10 years younger.
Sifuentes says he feels much better, post-surgery. He continues taking it easy while focusing on regaining his stamina.