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‘Ellen’ show surprises two Philly area friends who met as kidney donor and recipient

Ellen DeGeneres introduces them on Wednesday afternoon's show to "Modern Family" star Sarah Hyland, a two-time kidney recipient.

Breanna Sipple (left on big screen) and Erin Francis on Zoom call with actress Sarah Hyland (left, foreground) and Ellen DeGeneres on an episode of "Ellen" airing Wednesday, Oct. 21. The two Philadelphia area women, who became friends when Sipple donated a kidney to Francis three years ago, were surprised with two checks for $10,000 each for their organization, BeMore, which promotes organ donation.
Breanna Sipple (left on big screen) and Erin Francis on Zoom call with actress Sarah Hyland (left, foreground) and Ellen DeGeneres on an episode of "Ellen" airing Wednesday, Oct. 21. The two Philadelphia area women, who became friends when Sipple donated a kidney to Francis three years ago, were surprised with two checks for $10,000 each for their organization, BeMore, which promotes organ donation.Read moreMICHAEL ROZMAN / Warner Bros.
    by Ellen Gray
    Updated 
    Published 

Two Philadelphia-area women who became friends after one donated a kidney to the other get a couple of surprises in Wednesday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show (3 p.m., NBC10).

Three years ago, Breanna Sipple gave a kidney to Erin Francis after learning of her need for one through social media. Since then, the two have created the Instagram account Team BeMore, which promotes organ donation.

In Wednesday’s episode, DeGeneres interviews the two women on Zoom, and introduces them to Sarah Hyland, who’s there with her in the studio. The Modern Family star was born with kidney dysplasia and has had two kidney transplants, the first at the age of 21.

After the four chat, DeGeneres and Hyland each produce separate checks for $10,000, made out to BeMore, courtesy of Shutterfly.

In February, Sipple and Francis were interviewed by 6ABC, and Sipple, who had never met Francis before she decided to give her a kidney, spoke of seeing a Facebook post by Francis' husband, Rich, in which he wrote about his wife’s kidney disease and her need for a donor. (Updated: Francis' husband was misidentified in an earlier version of this post.)