California mom's lifesaving kidney donor is her Army vet son

A California mom got a lifesaving kidney donation last week from her son, an Army vet who served in Afghanistan.

Emanuel Zubia didn’t hesitate to help his mother who has been living with kidney disease for eight years.

“For my mom, I’d do anything,” he told KABC-TV Saturday. “I’d die for her.”

Lucia Zubia told the Los Angeles station she feared her fate would be to die before a donor could be found.

“The transplant list is 11 years; you know, it’s sad when you see your friends that you make at dialysis pass away,” she said.

Still, it was a tough decision, she told the station.

“I was hoping that we were not a match, you know, because as a mother you don’t want your son to go through this,” she said.

Her son knew it was the only decision.

“If someone was going to do it, I’d rather it be me because it’s my mom,” he told KABC.

The station reported that Monday’s kidney transplant surgery was a success.

“I’m so eternally grateful for him making this decision because he saved my life, and not only did he save my life, but he also helped somebody else go up higher on the kidney list,” she said.