“Kandy Baker is my childhood friend, and when she told me her mom, Diane Simmons, was in stage-four kidney failure, I talked to my husband and prayed about it, and eventually decided that I needed to get tested to see if I could help.
“My husband, Michael, told me if that was something I felt like I needed to do, then I should do it. He didn’t think I would pass and be considered a candidate anyway!
“I emailed Kandy and told her that if none of her family members matched, then I wanted to get tested. Turns out that no one else in her family was qualified, so Kandy asked if I was still willing to go forward with the testing. Of course I still wanted to do it, but unfortunately, I was not a direct match for Ms. Diane — but I agreed to be part of the paired donor program so she could receive her kidney. I wanted to do it in honor of her because she is such a vibrant person and still has so much life ahead of her.
“After deciding to do it and going through the tests and being selected, I was a little bit in shock at first because it happened so quickly. I had to have a couple of months reprieve because my oldest daughter was having a baby, and I wanted to be available for her, and I was afraid of being in recovery and trying to help her at the same time. As God’s timing works, it was the right thing for me to wait because my new grandbaby spent several days in NICU. Ms. Diane received her kidney on May 22, and I went in to donate on July 10.
“For me, even though there was a lot of time between when Ms. Diane received her kidney and when I donated, I went through with it because it was about obedience to God. It was what needed to be done, and it was that simple. In my mind it wasn’t that big of a deal. I realize it is a big deal to many people. It is. But in my heart, it was what I had to do.
“I was still scared to death when it came down to it. I got really sick after the surgery, and I think it was from the medicine. It was a tough first day-and-a-half, but I’m doing fine now. I’m probably healthier now than I’ve ever been. I’ve lost 25 pounds since my surgery and I’m eating healthier taking care of the one kidney I do have. If anything, it’s made me acutely aware of my body and keeping it free of as many toxins as possible.
“Meeting Mr. Peebles, the gentleman who received my kidney — that was special. There was not a dry eye in the hospital room. After meeting him, it was just like, ‘Yeah. This is why I went through with it.’ He was such a special case. He’d already been on dialysis, already had a transplant and so many other things. I know it worked out the way it was supposed to. We’ve talked several times since then, and he’s just a special person and has a special family.
“To see where this chain is and how far it has gone — it’s overwhelming to be a part of it. I set out to help Ms. Diane, and wound up helping Mr. Peebles, too, and in turn, I’ve helped all of these people to come behind them — all because I said I would do it. I would give a thousand kidneys if I were able to. It really is bigger than just you. We are all on earth to do something bigger than ourselves, and it feels good when you actually have an opportunity to do just that.”
April Brooks - 22
"I would give a thousand kidneys if I were able to. It really is bigger than just you. We are all on earth to do something bigger than ourselves, and it feels good when you actually have an opportunity to do just that."