“I had my first kidney transplant at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis when I was a little kid. Then about four years ago, I noticed my ankles were swollen, and I knew something was wrong, so I went to the doctor. They said my body was rejecting my kidney. I went back on peritoneal dialysis.
“When I was put back on dialysis, at first I was good. Then the last year and a half, I started to feel like I was going downhill. It wasn’t working as well. I was tired, and I couldn’t really get out in the sun without sweating off a lot of fluid. It was one thing after another. And back then, I was raising my 13-month-old daughter by myself, so it was hard; but you just have to make it through.”
“My buddy Nick wanted to donate for me. He had wanted to donate for me when we were kids, but he was too young. Now, with my already having had a transplant, they said it was hard for me to be matched up with anybody. My antibodies were so high. That’s why they put us on the kidney chain.
“They tried doing plasmapheresis to try to filter my blood; but the first time, I started throwing up and couldn’t stop. The last time, I had some kind of reaction where I couldn’t breathe well and started breaking out in hives, and they had to just stop it. I was supposed to be getting ready for my transplant, and they had to call it off. The good news was that I went back home and was able to be at the hospital with my wife when our son was born.
“Then a year went by, and they paired me with Laura, a woman who was donating just to donate. They told me her kidney matched like it was my own. After I got my transplant, we all met in the same room. Now I have her on Facebook. We talk back and forth every now and then to check on each other. She and my wife talk, too.
“I feel a lot better. I do still feel tired a lot, but that’s just life. I’m sure most people feel tired sometimes. I’ve also been able to gain some weight. I think I weigh 150 pounds now and look a lot healthier — everybody I know tells me that. I feel great compared to how I felt before. My kids are really happy, too, to have me back.”