Next week, Crystal Hazlett will donate one of her kidneys to someone she only met this year.

Hazlett, 27, of Butler on Tuesday will donate a kidney to Richard Goldberg of Woodbridge, Conn., at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

“I believe it's our responsibility to help each other,” Hazlett said. “I felt something and I had to run with it.”

In June, one of Hazlett's friends, who is going through dialysis, posted a link about organ compatibility on Facebook. Hazlett clicked on the link, which led to the website MatchingDonors.com.

MatchingDonors is a nonprofit organization that helps find organ donors for people who require transplants. Hazlett read through some of the stories of people needing transplants.

“I really felt bad. I really felt a lot of compassion toward them,” Hazlett said.

She said she also felt a responsibility to help.

“So, I signed up,” Hazlett said.

She set up a profile and began receiving messages. The first person who contacted her was a man from New York. However, their blood types were not compatible.

The second person, a man from Georgia, was compatible, but the hospital did not want to work with anyone from MatchingDonors.

The third person who contacted her was Goldberg, 67, who needs a kidney because he is in end stage renal failure. Both Goldberg and Hazlett are blood compatible, each having type A blood.

When talking to Goldberg, she immediately wanted to help.

“I felt a connection. I knew something was there,” Hazlett said.

Goldberg was diagnosed in January 2013.

A friend called him and told him about the site. He joined and began searching for donors. Often times, the potential donor would be eager at first, but would later stop communicating.

“(However) it gave me such hope each time,” Goldberg said.

When he contacted Hazlett and began talking to her, he, too, could feel a strong connection.

When deciding to go through with the transplant, her main concern was what would happen if someday her two children, ages 6 and 7, required a kidney.

“That was something that I had to consider,” Hazlett said.

She felt that she could not go through life thinking “what if,” and decided that she had to take action.

To get the process started, Hazlett called Yale-New Haven Hospital and spoke with the transplant coordinator. The coordinator wanted to make sure that Hazlett actually wanted to do the transplant and was not getting paid for her kidney.

After that, Hazlett flew to the hospital for a psychological evaluation. She was approved to continue and began a large amount of medical testing, including blood testing and a urinalysis.

“You wouldn't believe how much I've gone through,” Hazlett said.

A few of the tests had to take place in Connecticut, but she did as many as possible at Butler Memorial Hospital.

“They were super great,” Hazlett said.

She was told in October that she is a match with Goldberg. She flew to Connecticut for a full physical examination, and she met with the nephrologist and the transplant surgeon. She had an EKG, CT scan, blood test, X-ray and other tests while there.

The tests showed that her kidney functions at 135 percent, which is above average. The average kidney functions between 100 and 125 percent.

“I have a little wiggle room,” Hazlett said.

She had a minor setback when doctors discovered she had a possible kidney stone. After further review, the doctors in October decided to go with transplanting that kidney.

She will fly to Connecticut on Monday, and the transplant will take place Tuesday morning.

Surgeons will make three small incisions in Hazlett to do the surgery laparoscopically. The kidney will be removed from a larger incision near her stomach.

“It's not that bad,” Hazlett said.

After the surgery, Hazlett will stay at the hospital for a couple of days, then she will stay at the hotel the hospital offers for patients until Dec. 8. When the nephrologist says everything is OK, she can fly home.

Any follow up visits she needs can be done at Pittsburgh hospitals.

She will have to be off work for six to eight weeks, something her employer is OK with. Hazlett is a licensed nursing assistant at the Lowrie Place in Butler Township.

In addition to the normal risks associated with surgery, Hazlett will not be able to take medications that are processed through the kidneys, such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

If her remaining kidney fails, she will go to the top of the transplant list because she only has one kidney left.

Recipients are not allowed to pay for organs.

Goldberg is only allowed to pay for Hazlett's travel and overnight accommodations. All of Hazlett's medical tests and the transplant itself are covered by Goldberg's medical insurance.

She has been documenting the process on a Facebook page she created for the transplant. She said the page has 180 followers.

Her family and friends are supporting her. However, at first, they were surprised that she wanted to do something like this.

With the operation so close, Goldberg is excited.

“I texted (Hazlett) the other day ... this must be what it feels like when you open your presents on Christmas morning,” said Goldberg, who is Jewish.

After the transplant, Goldberg said they plan stay in touch.

“I can't not feel like she's one of my children,” Goldberg said. “The families have to mesh. She's become part of my family.”

Overall, Hazlett said she feels humbled and fortunate to be able to help.

“I'm really excited. It's an incredible feeling,” Hazlett said.