Kiersten Hedke and Theresa Orton share a more intimate connection than your average friends.

"In 2003 I had a kidney transplant," Hedke shares. "All because of my best friend Theresa, who donated her kidney to me."

That sacrifice came six years ago, after Kiersten's doctor delivered the bad news: Her kidneys were shutting down. She needed a transplant.

And Theresa -- her long-time friend -- was a match.

"She needed one of them," Orton says, sitting comfortably next to her best friend. "So it was just very simple. Let's do this."

A sacrifice that saved Kiersten's life.

"It's the greatest gift that you can give someone -- the gift of life," Hedke says.

She's one of the lucky few. About 4,000 Americans die per year while waiting for kidneys. That statistic rings particularly true in Michigan.

"There's probably at least 2,500 patients who are waiting for kidney transplants, if not more," says Vickie Moore, a medical assistant with the Mid-Michigan Kidney Specialists.

It's a huge problem in a state with more than 940,000 cases of chronic kidney disease.

Hedke says that's exactly why she'll walk this Sunday -- to raise awareness and encourage others to give the gift of life.