When Kristi Ouimet logged onto Facebook in June, 2020 and received a message from a man thousands of miles away in Nepal, she never thought in her wildest dreams that he would become family.Kristi, a mother of three in Antioch, California, had been scrolling through a Facebook group dedicated to people who sufferfrom primary hyperoxaluria type 1, a life-threatening liver condition that leads to kidney damage, and more often than that requires a kidney and liver transplant.Her oldest, 19-year-old Carswell, had been diagnosed with the condition at six, and her youngest, 11-year-old Matthew, began showing symptoms when he was just 2-months-old. Her middle son, Patrick, does not have the disease.So, when Kristi, who has become a fierce advocate for others with the disease, first connected with Govinda Regmi, 34, who told her that he was dying because of the lack of medical care in Nepal, “I knew I needed to help,” she tells PEOPLEin this week’s issue. “We bonded over his desperation.“Kristi Ouimet and her husband Kelly and their children Carswell 19, Patrick and Matthew 10 welcome in their home Govinda Regmi and Mira Basnet from Nepal so Govinda can receive medical Treatment. Antioch, CA, March 3, 2022 Credit: Smeeta Mahanti Hair & Makeup: Carrie L’Esperance/Zenobia.Smeeta MahantiIt didn’t take long for Kristi, and her husband Kelly, both retired from law enforcement, to do everything in their power to get Giovandi and Mira to the United States.“I told him, ‘You’re going to be okay. I didn’t quit on my kids. And I’m not going to quit on you,” she says.For Govinda, who was diagnosed in 2019, the moment meant everything. “It was the happiest day of my life,” he says. “She is an angel sent from God for me.“Kristi Ouimet and her husband Kelly and their children Carswell 19, Patrick and Matthew 10 welcome in their home Govinda Regmi and Mira Basnet from Nepal so Govinda can receive medical Treatment. Antioch, CA, March 3, 2022 Credit: Smeeta Mahanti Hair & Makeup: Carrie L’Esperance/Zenobia.Smeeta MahantiKristi, whose two children currently need dialysis three times a weekas they wait for a kidney, knows how isolating — and frightening — it can be.“I told her that I wanted to live, but I had no hope in Nepal,” says Govandi, who worked at a restaurant, while his wife Mira, 29, was a nurse.Kristi began sending him money to help with medical expenses and working on humanitarian visas for the couple to come to the U.S.“Then I thought, ‘We have a room they can use.’ So, I talked to my husband, and asked Govinda, ‘Would you be interested in staying with us?’ And they were in tears.“RELATED VIDEO: For Two Georgia Couples, a Transplant Created an Unbreakable Bond: ‘We’re the Kidney Warrior Family’After nearly a year of trying to get the couple here during COVID, they finally arrived at San Francisco Internal Airport on June 30, 2021.Both families instantly bonded, formed a connection that is unbreakable — and never looked back.Kristi and Kelly not only take their children to the hospital three times a week; they care for Govandi, too, as he goes to dialysis four times a week as he waits for a liver and kidney transplant.Govinda Regmi.Courtesy Kristi OuimetThe now family of seven also make sure that they soak in the moments that don’t focus on the disease. They spend time enjoying Mira’s Nepalese cooking, movie nights and jigsaw puzzles.“I’m grateful for what I’ve experienced because it’s brought new purpose to my life,” says Kristi, who works closely with organizations such as theOxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation (ohf.org). “We all have a wonderful obligation to help each other leave things better than we found them."* For much more on the Kristi Ouimet story, pick upthis week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
When Kristi Ouimet logged onto Facebook in June, 2020 and received a message from a man thousands of miles away in Nepal, she never thought in her wildest dreams that he would become family.
Kristi, a mother of three in Antioch, California, had been scrolling through a Facebook group dedicated to people who sufferfrom primary hyperoxaluria type 1, a life-threatening liver condition that leads to kidney damage, and more often than that requires a kidney and liver transplant.
Her oldest, 19-year-old Carswell, had been diagnosed with the condition at six, and her youngest, 11-year-old Matthew, began showing symptoms when he was just 2-months-old. Her middle son, Patrick, does not have the disease.
So, when Kristi, who has become a fierce advocate for others with the disease, first connected with Govinda Regmi, 34, who told her that he was dying because of the lack of medical care in Nepal, “I knew I needed to help,” she tells PEOPLEin this week’s issue. “We bonded over his desperation.”
Kristi Ouimet and her husband Kelly and their children Carswell 19, Patrick and Matthew 10 welcome in their home Govinda Regmi and Mira Basnet from Nepal so Govinda can receive medical Treatment. Antioch, CA, March 3, 2022 Credit: Smeeta Mahanti Hair & Makeup: Carrie L’Esperance/Zenobia.Smeeta Mahanti
It didn’t take long for Kristi, and her husband Kelly, both retired from law enforcement, to do everything in their power to get Giovandi and Mira to the United States.
“I told him, ‘You’re going to be okay. I didn’t quit on my kids. And I’m not going to quit on you,” she says.
For Govinda, who was diagnosed in 2019, the moment meant everything. “It was the happiest day of my life,” he says. “She is an angel sent from God for me.”
Kristi, whose two children currently need dialysis three times a weekas they wait for a kidney, knows how isolating — and frightening — it can be.
“I told her that I wanted to live, but I had no hope in Nepal,” says Govandi, who worked at a restaurant, while his wife Mira, 29, was a nurse.
Kristi began sending him money to help with medical expenses and working on humanitarian visas for the couple to come to the U.S.
“Then I thought, ‘We have a room they can use.’ So, I talked to my husband, and asked Govinda, ‘Would you be interested in staying with us?’ And they were in tears.”
RELATED VIDEO: For Two Georgia Couples, a Transplant Created an Unbreakable Bond: ‘We’re the Kidney Warrior Family’
After nearly a year of trying to get the couple here during COVID, they finally arrived at San Francisco Internal Airport on June 30, 2021.
Both families instantly bonded, formed a connection that is unbreakable — and never looked back.
Kristi and Kelly not only take their children to the hospital three times a week; they care for Govandi, too, as he goes to dialysis four times a week as he waits for a liver and kidney transplant.
Govinda Regmi.Courtesy Kristi Ouimet
The now family of seven also make sure that they soak in the moments that don’t focus on the disease. They spend time enjoying Mira’s Nepalese cooking, movie nights and jigsaw puzzles.
“I’m grateful for what I’ve experienced because it’s brought new purpose to my life,” says Kristi, who works closely with organizations such as theOxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation (ohf.org). “We all have a wonderful obligation to help each other leave things better than we found them.”
- For much more on the Kristi Ouimet story, pick upthis week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
source: people.com
