“We both went to be tested to see if we were a match for one another. They called and gave me the bad news first, telling me I wasn’t a match for her, but they also told me they had good news — that I could go on the living donor list and help Estella out much quicker. Sure enough, less than eight months after going on the list, on Sept. 19, 2014, Estella got her kidney. If I had not been on the living donor list, it would have been years — many years — before she would have had a chance to get one.
“I’m so happy to say that Estella is doing very well. She has some aches and pains on some days, but she looks good. And she doesn’t have to go to dialysis every day. I wish more people would come forward to help someone else, to give life. The technology today is incredible, and you’ve got to be a believer. God has got you in his hands.
"I keep in touch with my recipient, Kiara Brown. She was a 24-year-old young lady from Silver Creek, Mississippi. I’m actually going to see her this weekend, and I can’t wait. She’s such a sweet girl. It was very emotional to meet her. Her mom says she’s hasn’t stopped moving ever since her transplant. I told her she got the wild kidney!
“I had to wait a while from the time Estella received her kidney until I donated. Estella’s transplant was Sept. 19, 2014, and my donation was Jan. 15, 2015. I actually donated on our mom’s birthday.
“I’m not going to lie, though. I had anxiety issues pretty bad while I was waiting to donate. I started getting headaches, and I never previously had headaches in my life. I also started having some family issues. The week before my surgery, my husband — who is a diabetic and has neuropathy — was burned by a space heater. He was discharged from the hospital on a Sunday, and I was scheduled to be in Birmingham for my donation on Wednesday.
“I really just prayed about things, and, you know, I just knew that Estella had been given the gift of life and someone else was waiting for their gift, too. And after the surgery and my donation was over, and the doctor came to walk me over to see my recipient, and I saw how young she was, I got so emotional. I was so glad I did it. It was a happy, happy time."
“This chain is a real blessing. When I think of this chain, that’s what I think of — blessing. My sister was blessed, Kiara was blessed, and I have been, too. The fact that I could help somebody else and somebody else could help Estella … it’s just God’s hands at work.”
Belinda Beasley - 35
"I just knew that Estella had been given the gift of life and someone else was waiting for their gift, too. And after the surgery and my donation was over, and the doctor came to walk me over to see my recipient, and I saw how young she was, I got so emotional. I was so glad I did it. It was a happy, happy time."