Durham Reporter

Sisters share a lot, whether you’re talking about genetics or shared life experiences.

Annie Burris and LaTrenda Martin have taken that bond to another level.

Martin donated part of her liver to her sister after watching a progressive autoimmune disease cause her sister's health to deteriorate for several years, finally putting her life in jeopardy.

“I didn’t have a second thought on doing it,” Martin told WBTV News. “I was meant to do it.” 

Blood relatives are considered the best organ donors, with the level of organ function usually surpassing that of organs that come from strangers, even those that are considered good matches, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

Burris is a legally blind motivational speaker and says she owes her sister her life.

“To actually wake up from that surgery and realize I’m still here,” Burris told WBTV News. “And I owe it to her because she was brave enough to take that chance."

The best part about the organ donation surgery is that it will help extend Burris's life so she can spend more time with her grandchildren.

“For my grandchildren to see me, and me not be a memory for them… that means the world to me,” Burris told WBTV News. She also had some advice for anyone considering an organ donation: “Be like my sister; have that heart.”