For Mari Bleacher, "live one day at a time" has new meaning.

Recently, the 39-year-old received news that her body was rejecting the kidney transplant she received more than a year ago.

"At first I was angry, then sad," Bleacher said. "Finally, I made up my mind to have a positive attitude toward my future."

That optimistic trait was what helped the soft-spoken Narvon mother of two in August 2006, as she dealt with the diagnosis of advanced kidney failure.

Though at that time her search for a matching donor was frustrating, Bleacher, who was born in Sweden, continued to hope for the best. And in January 2007, her prayers were answered when a Swedish acquaintance was found to be a match.

Bleacher met Nettie Potter at the Swedish School of Philadelphia Association, in Devon. They weren't good friends, having met only a few times, and they hadn't seen each other for several years. But when Bleacher discovered Potter lived nearby, in Bowmansville, she contacted her. "When Mari told me about needing a kidney, I said, 'If I'm a match, you can have mine,' " Potter said.

Testing proved Potter was indeed a match; thus, on Jan. 17, 2008, the transplant surgery was successfully performed by Dr. Francisco Badosa, surgeon and kidney transplant program director at Lankenau Hospital, Wynnewood.

"I couldn't believe, at the time, that Nettie, a 36-year-old single mother of two children [Sarah, 11, and Bernard, 12], whom I didn't know that well, would give me her kidney," Bleacher said.

Potter believed it, and her act created a lifelong bond between the two women.

Within weeks after the transplant, Bleacher looked and felt healthy again. Her appetite and energy returned.

"Nettie gave me back my life," Bleacher said.

The transplant recipient's life was finally getting better, and she was proud to be sworn in as a U.S. citizen May 30, 2008.

But in August, Bleacher became violently sick. She ended up at Ephrata Community Hospital; five days later, she was admitted again to Lankenau Hospital, where blood work indicated her creatinine level had risen. It was a warning of a possible kidney malfunction. Though her illness was believed to be viral, a new anti-rejection medication was prescribed to lower the creatinine level.

Unfortunately, another biopsy in March revealed the kidney was being rejected.

"It was very upsetting and I cried with Mari," Potter said, recalling how distraught she felt after learning the organ she had donated was rejected.

"If I had another kidney to spare, I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to give it to her!"

One option that is under consideration is for Bleacher to see if her sister, Ursula Andersson, 38, who lives in Sweden, would be a match. Bleacher's plan was to fly there June 4 with her 14-year old daughter, Linnea. If Andersson is a match, the surgery will take place in Sweden within several months.

Dr. Geoffrey Teehan, of Nephrology Associates, Pottstown, is encouraged about that possibility. He said transplantation is always the best option and is hopeful Bleacher won't require the dialysis that is recommended when a patient's symptoms can't be managed with medications.

 According to Badosa, a kidney can be rejected at any time and medication is given to prevent that from happening. He said rejections are few and usually occur during the first month or six weeks after a transplant.

Bleacher now faces the same symptoms — fatigue, nausea, lack of appetite and weight loss — she experienced before the kidney transplant. She is on a restrictive diet to eliminate potassium, which means no tomatoes, bananas, potatoes, oranges or milk.

Bleacher continues to work as a fabric manager at the Flower & Craft Warehouse, Blue Ball, which, she says, takes her mind off of her health issue. Occasionally, however, she has to leave work early when the nausea is excessive.

Bleacher has Potter's support, as well as family support, from her daughter; her husband, Peter; and son, Jacob, 15.

Peter admitted it was a shock to learn about the kidney rejection.

"When we got the gift of a friend's kidney, we thought it was the last hurdle, only to find out that the race was not over," he said.

Though tested, he was not a match for his wife's kidney transplant.

Jacob, a 10th-grader at Garden Spot High School, offered to be tested as a donor. Linnea, a ninth-grader at Garden Spot, also volunteered. Even if either of them were a match, donors must be 18 years or older.

Though the reality of their mother's illness is ever-present, Linnea said faith helps the family deal with the circumstances. "We are closer to God through all of this," she said.

Bleacher agreed and expressed appreciation for the support from their church, Peace United Church of Christ, Denver.

The one thing she wants people to realize is the critical need for live donors.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, kidney disease is a major health problem in the U.S. More than 78,000 people in the nation are currently on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, and 26 million Americans have been diagnosed with kidney disease.

"No one should be afraid to donate an organ. I'm in good health and have had no problems living with one kidney," Potter said.

Bleacher's prayer is to find a donor closer to home, to avoid having the transplant surgery out of the country.

"Right now," she said, "I live one day at a time, with faith."