By Sara QuamOne of the few times that twins Kammi Biber and Karri Korth sported matching outfits was at Avera McKennen in Sioux Falls as they recovered from major surgery. Kammi donated her left kidney to Karri Feb. 8. The two are recovering well ... and are probably wondering why they ever fought about things like having to share a bedroom. Kammi lives in Moreno Valley, Calif., and Karri lives in Luverne. They are 35.Kammi will return to her home, husband and four children Feb. 28.For at least the next six months, Karri will check her blood pressure and temperature twice a day, weigh herself every day and check her blood sugar four times a day.Every 12 hours for the rest of her life, Karri will take immune system repressing anti-rejection medication.Karri said she has a bit of guilt about the pain her sister experienced in order to help her.Kammi said, "I would obviously do it all again."Before the surgery At age 7 Karri was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, which is hard on kidneys.In June 2004, Karri’s doctors told her she would need a transplant. Not having gone through dialysis yet, she was in good condition to receive a donor organ. Her husband, Bill Korth, wanted to be tested to see if he was a match, but Kammi beat him to it."It’s almost a miracle when you find a perfect match," Karri said. "When we first talked about it, the doctor said, ‘Do you have a twin?’ and I said ‘Yes.’"We’re as near a perfect match as possible," Karri said, even though she and Kammi have different blood types.As a part of preparation for the surgery, they had many doctor appointments, which included making sure they were both in good health, not fighting any sicknesses that would weaken them for surgery.When Kammi arrived in Luverne to start the process, Karri’s husband Bill said, "It’s like Christmas came."The sisters are close friends, too. Karri said, "As much as we are different, we’re a lot alike. We’ll call each other and say, ‘What are you doing?’ and we’ll both be folding laundry. Or we’ll say, ‘What’s for supper over there tonight?’ and we’ll be having spaghetti."Pre-operation preparation involved getting to know exactly what was going to happen to their bodies.Kammi said, "It’s made for interesting dinner-time conversation, that’s for sure."The Avera McKennan team let Kammi know that she’d probably be in more pain than Karri. But Kammi said, "I’ve given birth four times. I can handle the pain."Before the surgery, the sisters spent a lot of time laughing when they talked about their lives.Kammi said she’s going to live a lot healthier knowing that she’s only got one kidney. She plans to cut back on sugars and sodium and processed foods."I am Dr. Phil-ing my house. I told my husband that by the time I get back, he’d better have it done," Kammi said.Karri said, "Good luck. You’ve got four kids, you have to feed them junk food."Getting closer to the actual day of surgery, Karri said, "The hardest part for me is going to be watching her go in."Karri knew she would be anxious waiting for Kammi to get out of surgery, about two hours, before hers could begin.After the surgeryKarri now has three kidneys. Her original two will slowly stop functioning as the new, donated one from Kammi becomes dominant.Kammi’s kidney will also grow to compensate for her only having one.Kidneys are about 10 centimeters long, so both women felt a lot of pain with their bodies adjusting to the absence or addition of the organs.Kammi recanted her previous statement about handling pain."When I had to get up to walk, I thought I was going to die," she said 10 days after the surgery. "It’s a constant, sharp pain. When I move, I can feel my insides moving."Both are grateful for the doctors, staff, and just for the science that allowed Kammi to donate a kidney to Karri.Karri said, "Organ donation is such a good thing. People should do it. They should mark it on their driver’s license and tell their family members their wishes."Gary and Jean Staeffler, Luverne, have seen all of their three children go through surgery for organ donation. In 1998, their son, Kelly, also Luverne, received a kidney from a cadaver donor. Jean said, "For me, it has just been a matter of putting it in God’s hands and trusting that it would work out."She’s happy to see her daughters out of surgery and on the way to recovery. Now she and Gary will be empty-nesters again, after Kammi stayed with them for about a month.Jean said, "Gary is more quiet about what we go through, but he is my source of strength." Jean often turns to a favorite Bible passage from Isaiah 49 for strength: "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Your sons hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you."As the big brother, Kelly was nervous for his sisters before and during the surgery. "There were plenty of family members around, so that helped," he said.Kelly has met his donor’s family and was able to thank them. His kidney is functioning well for him, and his blood work is monitored regularly by doctors.He said, "My transplant family was torn about it, but now they’re glad they did it. … If people are even toying with the idea of becoming a donor, I’d tell them to do it. If the good Lord is going to have you anyway, you might as well help other people live."