Pay it forward: A perfect match

For more than 10 years, Mike Cook struggled with the debilitating effects of kidney failure. And in 2014, the father of two and grandfather of five from Columbus, Ohio, made the difficult decision to move in with his daughter, Tammy McConnaughey, and her family to receive additional care.  

However, it wasn’t until 2021 that Mike’s health declined to the point of needing dialysis treatment, often requiring five hours of dialysis at a time, three times per week. It was also then that Tammy, a member of the executive leadership team and chief credit risk and operations officer at Bread Financial, and her sister began exploring the process of live organ donation to save their father’s life. 

“It was a journey,” said Tammy, when reflecting on the time and energy required throughout the transplant process. “We learned early on that my sister was ineligible to be a donor, so I went through about 18 months of testing to determine whether I was an organ donor 'match.'"   

“All the while, my dad was adamant that even if I were to be a match, he didn’t want me to go through with the transplant. But I can be stubborn. He's the rock of my family, and there was never a doubt that if I was a match, I would give him one of my kidneys."  

Despite dialysis, Mike’s health soon declined to the point where he needed to make the ultimate decision: to live with his daughter’s kidney or die without it. Choosing life, in 2023, shortly after learning that Tammy was a match, the pair prepared for transplant surgery.  

“After going through such an intense process, finding out I was in fact a match was an incredible feeling, and gave us all a new sense of hope,” said Tammy.   

In March 2023, Mike successfully received Tammy’s kidney.   

Having been with Bread Financial for more than 30 years, Tammy credits the ongoing support of her team, fellow executive leaders and President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Andretta for helping her navigate the entire process, through to what at times was a grueling post-surgery recovery.  

“My team was amazing during my recovery; they stepped up and took the lead on a lot of things without missing a beat,” she said. “Ralph was very supportive throughout the entire journey, asking how my dad is doing and how I'm doing to this day. One of our values at Bread Financial is to be kind and pay it forward, and I certainly felt that.” 

A now thriving 77-year-old kidney recipient, Mike has danced at his grandson’s wedding and enjoyed long trips with his wife following the transplant procedure.  

“My dad's life is night and day different compared to what it was prior to the surgery,” she said. "My kidney immediately started functioning the moment that it was put into him; it was a perfect match.”