“When we found out my mom was going to need a kidney, my first instinct was to get tested to see if I was a match. I’m a nurse, and I didn’t even think about my blood type. I’m O-positive. I can give to anybody, I just can’t receive from anybody.
“Still, getting that call that says you are a match for your mother, that’s an awesome feeling. This is the person who gave birth to you and has taken care of you your whole life. Now, God’s giving you the opportunity to give her back life. When I heard she needed a kidney, there was no thinking about it. I would do anything for my mother.
“Even when they said we matched and we started going through the process, it was awesome. They told us once you match, the surgery happens pretty soon. But then mom had to have a blood transfusion, and it threw us off. For the next year to year-and-a-half, we kept getting tested, and we never could match up again. But we didn’t get discouraged. We knew whatever was going to happen was part of God’s plan and would happen on his time.
“When we finally got that call the second time that it was a go, it was an indescribable feeling. They told us they found someone to give to my mother, and that I could give to someone else. That was an even bigger blessing, to be able to give the gift of life to someone I didn’t know, to a stranger, was beyond what I was thinking. It was awesome. It was stepping out on faith and trusting God. Before I was born, he knew one day I was going to give a kidney away. The whole experience has just been great.
“My mom and I, we were just looking out for each other, but then it turns out that we are part of the biggest transplant chain at one place in history. To be a part of something like this is just amazing.
“Any time I run across someone who is on dialysis or in kidney failure, I tell them my story. A lot of people just don’t know this type of opportunity is out there. Some people don’t want to be a donor, they hear about the scary parts and fear what could go wrong in surgery. But they don’t know the joy of bringing life to someone else. I have a greater outlook on the whole experience.”
Jovi Williams - 2
"Getting that call that says you are a match for your mother, that’s an awesome feeling."