“My problem was high blood pressure, which was destroying my kidneys. I talked to my kidney doctor about it; he said in the future I would have to have dialysis and ultimately a transplant.
“The renal failure happened faster than we thought it would. It happened almost overnight and I went on dialysis immediately after that. That was around Thanksgiving 2012.
“In February 2013 I came to UAB. They told me I could get people to call to see if they could give me a kidney. My son Justin and I didn’t quite match up, so they got in touch with me about the swap program. It all kind of happened real fast after that. My health did go down hill pretty quickly.
“I have to give all the credit to God. I got my big, shiny, new pink kidney in December, and Justin donated his in January. I told him not to feel pressured to do this. He was my hero.
“I expect it’s going to be a new normal for me. The kidney is doing great. The lab work is coming back wonderful. Not only did God provide me with a new kidney, he provided me one from a military man who looked like G.I. Joe. Not only did I get one, I got a good one.
“I’m real excited about the future. I’ve got a lot of plans. I know God has a lot of things planned for me that I don’t even know about yet. I’m looking forward to seeing what they are.”
Martha Kelley - 5
"Not only did God provide me with a new kidney, he provided me one from a military man who looked like G.I. Joe."