Dialysis treatments for a diseased kidney were leaving Robert Underwood so fatigued every week he no longer had the time or energy to truly live his life.

Time with his wife and children, working as a mechanic and simply being able to take a walk down the street were no longer an option.

Then Underwood's life changed -- literally -- thanks to his brother-in-law Adam Clatterbuck.

On June 17, Clatterbuck, a paramedic with EVAC ambulance, donated one of his kidneys to Underwood.

He gave me my life back," an emotional Underwood said recently in the lobby of EVAC in Holly Hill. "I have a new lease on life and I have Adam to thank for it."

Clatterbuck's selfless act earned him the Medal of Merit from EVAC, the first time the award has ever been given to a paramedic, agency spokesman Mark O'Keefe said.

But the most amazing part of the story, according to Underwood and O'Keefe, is that Clatterbuck never told his brother-in-law he was going to be tested to determine whether he would be a good match for a kidney transplant.

When Clatterbuck went to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center in December 2007 and learned he was a "perfect match" for Underwood, he gave his brother-in-law the news during the Christmas holidays. "It was an incredible Christmas present," said Underwood, who was diagnosed with polycystic renal disease, which consists of a series of cysts inside and outside the kidney that cause it to shut down. "I had no idea any of this was going on."

For Clatterbuck, such a gift was just second nature. "I had to help my-brother-in-law," he said. "He was in desperate need of a kidney."

Having grown up on a 100-acre farm at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, Clatterbuck was always surrounded by family - - dozens of cousins, aunts and uncles. "There wasn't anything we wouldn't do for family," Clatterbuck said. "Just because he's my brother-in-law doesn't mean he's not my brother."

Naturally, Clatterbuck discussed the decision with his wife, Karin, who is Underwood's sister and who has also been diagnosed with the illness, a disorder that runs in their family. The Clatterbucks agreed they'd keep the plan about getting tested quiet because they did not want to disappoint Underwood in case the test results came back negative for a donor match. "But he (Adam) was a perfect match; he was a better match than my own sister," Underwood said, his eyes welling up with tears.

The operation took place June 17 and both Underwood and Clatterbuck have recovered nicely. "He is our hero," Karin Clatterbuck said, referring to her husband.

A smiling Underwood agreed. "I'm off dialysis," he said. "I can do whatever I want. I can eat and drink whatever I want. I can spend time with my family."

Dialysis treatments were grueling for Underwood. Performed three times a week, the procedure would leave Underwood so weak he would have to sleep almost an entire day to recover. "My life was a nightmare for the 3 1/2 years I went through that," he said.

Just back to work since the operation, Clatterbuck is eager to get back into an ambulance and help save lives, but doctors said he has to take it easy for a few days. For now, he'll be on light duty at EVAC headquarters until he's strong enough to hit the road, O'Keefe said. "I was just happy to get my brother-in-law out of his hell," Clatterbuck said.

But a kidney is not the only thing Clatterbuck has given Underwood.

Because he could no longer work as a mechanic, Underwood lost his job, and subsequently, his Ormond Beach house. So the Underwood family -- which includes three children -- moved in with the Clatterbucks, who also have three children. "We share expenses," Underwood said. "It works well."