“I had a bit of a strange situation with my kidneys. They both shrunk to about the size of a quarter. I certainly didn’t know why, and the doctors didn’t know why either.
“I thought it might have been because I had gained some weight, but I’m really not sure. After I gained all of the weight, I lost about 30 pounds; but I didn’t feel any better. And eventually, the doctor told me I was eligible for a transplant.
“We found out after coming to UAB that, if I could get a living donor, that was my best bet to have a successful transplant. Both of my sons got tested to see if they were eligible. My youngest son’s test came through first, and he said he would donate a kidney. His name is Prince.
“I was real nervous for Prince, especially when I found out he couldn’t donate to me. When I found out he wasn’t able to give to me, I didn’t want him to do it anymore. But he was saying, ‘No. Let me do it. If I do it, you would still be getting a kidney, and that’s the main thing.’ I was trying to talk him out of it, but I couldn’t do it.
“Now that I see how all of this works, and how this chain works, I really see what a great idea it is. I see how it helps a lot of people. The gentleman my son gave his kidney to — William Harris — had been waiting for years and hadn’t been able to get one. If my son had backed out, William might never have gotten a transplant. To know that my son’s donation may have helped saved William’s life is pretty powerful. I’m very proud of him.
“I didn’t expect to meet my donor or anything. But hearing a lot of the people’s stories is very touching.
“I wasn’t on dialysis that long, but I had a very awful experience with it. My arm turned so black trying to do the dialysis. I was sick all of the time, and that made Prince more amped to try and help me.
“He kept saying, ‘Hey, Ma, this is going to help you in the long run.’ I was scared for him because he’s never had anything wrong with him ever. He had never been in the hospital.
“Prince was so brave. I think he was braver than I was. I was scared about the whole thing, but mostly for him. The most pain he had been in was probably having his braces re-adjusted.
“Prince still calls me every day, checking on me. I am so proud of him. I’ve been telling everybody what he did, that my son did this for me.
“It was really nice to meet my donor. She was very sweet. And I could tell the most important thing for her was for Kendra to have a good life. She would have given her heart for Kendra if she could. They’re just good people. Everyone I’ve met that has been a part of this is just wonderful. It’s been such a blessing.”