Their's was an amazing story: a man hurries to offer a brother in need of a kidney his organ, only to find that the two were not a match.
The tests that proved them incompatabile, however, showed that Edmond White's kidney could save another person and that a willing relative (the wife) of that person might be able to donate to White's brother, Dan.
The brothers joined in a donor exchange with the other family and the surgeries were a roaring success. Dan, 34, said he owes his quality of life to Edmond.
But the quality of Dan's life was altered when his brother died last month while incarcerated in Leavenworth, Kan. He left behind a 5-year-old son.
Dan White said the happiness he felt after the transplant was gone as soon as Edmond was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in January 2007.
Edmond White fell into deeper and deeper trouble, going in and out of prison on charges related to passing conterfeit checks, not paying child support and parole violations.
Dan White and his mother both blame Edmond's death on a lack of mental health treatment in prison.