By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

When Julie Goodman first met Jeff Vaughan 10 years ago, she was sure he wasn't her type.

Turns out Jeff is a great match.

Julie has a hereditary condition called polycystic kidneys. Her condition worsened recently, and she is near the failing stage. Tuesday, Julie will be in San Francisco for a kidney transplant. Jeff is her donor. Eleven days ago, on the beach at Barbers Point, he became her husband.

And to think that she used to give him the brush off and avoid his phone calls.

"As I got to know him, I just thought wow, what a remarkable person. What more could I want? He's a wonderful, kind person and a real friend. And very intelligent, my goodness. I almost passed that up."

Jeff, however, never had any doubts. When they learned Julie would need a kidney transplant, he volunteered to be tested as a possible donor. Though the testing took several months, he was certain he would be a match.

"He always kept saying, 'Once you get my kidney ... ' or 'Don't worry about it, you're going to get my kidney.' I said you have such a positive attitude about this, don't be disappointed if you're not a match. I don't want you to feel like you couldn't help if you're not a match. He said, 'I'm not even worried about that because I AM a match.' "

And he was. Not a perfect 6-point antigen match, but close enough for doctors to tell Julie, "This match is going to be very good for you."

Julie and Jeff, both in their early 30s, have been planning their wedding for three years, but when the transplant date was set, they had to improvise. Jeff wanted to make sure they were married before the procedure so they could make medical decisions for each other.

"Because my kidneys were so large, I didn't want to wear a white dress that would make me look bigger than I am."

Julie says her kidneys are riddled with sacs of fluid that build up to the size of marbles. "It's just like taking bubble wrap and wrapping it around your kidneys. My kidneys right now are the size of two newborn children. They're huge. The doctors say that they're probably going to take out 20 to 30 pounds worth of kidney."

Jeff is not only her donor, he's been her rock.

"He thinks of it like changing car parts. He says they're just lifting up the hood and switching parts and then we'll start our lives after that. He's not scared at all. He believes that you're here on this earth not for personal reasons, but to help others. He feels like if he can help somebody in this world, it makes his life more fulfilling. He's just amazing."

Julie and Jeff have kept a sense of humor about the whole thing. "I tell him, what if down the line we get divorced? I can't give the kidney back. And he tells me, you can keep the kidney, I'll take the house and the dog."

In truth, once through recovery, they'll go back to planning a proper wedding.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.