'You're a little bit more like me every day:' Daughter gifts her mother a second chance at life

AUSTIN (KXAN)— After battling chronic kidney disease for more than 30 years, local mother Michele Kirkpatrick says she feels closer than ever to her daughter, who gave her the ultimate gift, a second chance at life by donating her kidney.

35 years ago, Kirkpatrick was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, chronic kidney disease. Kirkpatrick had been seeing a Nephrologist regularly, but she said she knew from the beginning of her journey that her condition would probably progress.

"I got older, but for many years I stayed very stable. It was a little over two years ago, just after Thanksgiving, that I went in for my six-month checkup. My kidney function had dropped pretty significantly, and my nephrologist recommended that I go to the transplant center to be evaluated," Kirkpatrick said.

Dr. James Lim, Surgical Director at North Austin Medical Center, took care of Kirkpatrick after her condition worsened. Dr. Lim said those diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease eventually experience kidney failure.

"Now, the main issue for all our patients who go on the list is that there are not enough organs for each patient, which is why every year, people have to wait more and more time. More patients go on the list than there are available organs, and the wait time is usually many years. Depending on your blood type, it could be six, seven years in our area for the same blood type, it could be up to 10 plus years," Dr. Lim said.

When Amanda Canary, Kirkpatrick's daughter, heard her mother's condition had worsened and that she was going to be placed on the transplant list, without hesitation, she knew what she needed to do to make sure her mother would be okay.

"My first thought was, I'll give you my kidney. I have two, you can have one. It just was very obvious to me that this was what I was supposed to do, and that I wanted to be a help to my mom and see her be healthy and thriving again," Canary said.

The decision was not as easy for Kirkpatrick as it was for her daughter. She said she was worried for her daughter's health as it was a serious procedure that she and her daughter would have to go through.

"When you are placed on the transplant list, you go for testing, they do encourage you to look if you have friends or family who are willing to be tested. So it took me a little while to kind of warm up to the idea. But, you know, just in talking with my surgeon, doctor, Lim, he was just such a great support," Kirkpatrick said.

After making sure Canary was the perfect candidate for her mom's transplant, the team at The Kidney Transplant Center at St. David's North Austin Medical Center made sure both patients were prepped and ready for the procedure. Kirkpatrick said the surgical team made sure to have them placed in rooms near each other and allowed them to check on each other before and after the surgery.

I think it just really connected us in a way that, you realize as a parent that you raise your children to be good people, kind people, and selfless people. I just think it was just truly a beautiful act, I think my surgeon said it well; he said it gave me a second chance at life, and sometimes in my mind, I didn't always go there," said Kirkpatrick.

The procedure went well, and just as Kirkpatrick said, her daughter was the one to give her a second chance at life.

"The fact that she was able to donate to her mom is going to be an even closer bond than they had going forward. I would say that about any donor and recipient, there is that close bond that ties them for the rest of both of their lives," said Dr. Lim

Staying on top of your kidney health

Kidney disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC said, over 35 million US adults have chronic kidney disease, and most are undiagnosed. Dr. Lim said Chronic Kidney Disease, unfortunately, is becoming more and more common. It is important to be aware of what signs and symptoms to look out for and understand how you can stay on top of your kidney health.

Dr. Lim recommends getting regularly screened through a primary care physician. If a doctor sees any health concerns, they may refer patients to specialists who will then work to monitor patients at the beginning of their journey, as opposed to towards the end, when they may not have a lot more to offer them, except to go on dialysis to get a kidney transplant.

Symptoms to be aware of

• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Itchiness
• Chest pain

Reducing your risk

• Keep an eye on your blood pressure
• Get up and get active to help control blood pressure and sugar levels
• Make sure you are at a healthy body weight
• Get screened and tested regularly
• Stop smoking