Alabamian donates kidney as ‘gift of life’

As far as evangelist Bobby Britt is concerned, he has been touched by one of God’s angels. She is 25-year-old Ashley Fisher who up until six months ago was a complete stranger to him.
   
But not anymore. Today the two are as close as any father and granddaughter could be, drawn together by the gift of life that Ashley unselfishly offered to Britt after hearing him preach at her church — First Baptist, Trussville.
   
It was a cold Sunday in January and the 65-year-old Britt, who was filling in for his friend and fellow pastor, Gary Hollingsworth, delivered a morning and evening message despite the fact his weak body was recovering from gall bladder surgery 10 days earlier. Consequently he delivered his sermon sitting on a stool and needed assistance climbing the few steps to the pulpit.
   
Although Britt casually mentioned to the congregation that he was recovering from surgery, he didn’t reveal that he was in need of a kidney transplant — the result of contracting Wegener’s disease, a debilitating illness that in rare cases causes kidney failure.
   
Ashley — who works for Baptist Health System as a certified athletic trainer and is an active member of First, Trussville’s singles department — heard Britt’s sermon that morning and was impressed by his message. Although her plans had not included attending the evening worship service, she adjusted her schedule after having lunch with a friend who had recently been diagnosed with cancer. 
   
Her friend asked that Ashley submit her name for prayer during the singles after-church prayer group. It was during this time of sharing that Britt’s name was mentioned for prayer. Ashley learned he had been on dialysis for five years and was in need of a kidney transplant.
   
As the group began praying, Ashley said she felt God’s strong tug on her heart telling her she needed to offer one of her kidneys to Britt. “As we prayed I asked the Lord to answer Brother Britt’s prayer. All of a sudden I felt God telling me that I should go forward and be tested as a possible donor,” she said.
   
Following the prayer Ashley found out more about Britt and obtained his phone number. She called on Tuesday night and spoke with Britt’s wife, Carolyn, explaining that she felt God telling her to be tested as a possible kidney donor.
   
“I told Carolyn why I was calling and she had me repeat myself,” Ashley said. “She wanted to know how I had found out that Brother Bobby needed a kidney since we had never met each other.”
   
Carolyn gave her the phone number to call to have her blood tested for compatibility, which Ashley did the following morning.
   
Ashley immediately began seeing signs from God that she was following His will. “The morning I was to have the blood work done I picked up the top copy from a stack of athletic journals that I had been meaning to discard for months. I flipped it open and the article I turned to was a story on an athletic trainer donating a kidney to someone,” she said.
   
Later in the day when she was at the doctor’s office waiting to have her blood drawn, she kept seeing the word “fisher” (which is her last name) on different objects such as the back of a three-ring binder, a large box and a piece of paper.
   
“I felt like these were signs from God telling me I was in the right place,” she said. “I was whispering a prayer under my breath and I softly said, ‘OK, God, I understand.’ Right at this moment the man who was coming to draw my blood walked in and heard me. I looked up at his name tag before I spoke to him and his last name was Fisher,” she said. “I explained to him everything that was going on up to that point.”
   
Ashley said for some reason there was difficulty in trying to draw her blood and other personnel had to come assist.
   
Everyone who came in heard my story from Mr. Fisher,” she said, explaining that it gave her several witnessing opportunities. Ashley said on her way home she stopped to fill her car with gas. “The car parked next to me had a bumper sticker that read, ‘Don’t take all your organs to heaven — be an organ donor,’” she said.
   
“When I got home I turned on the television and there was a show about a man who was on trial for trying to get a kidney for his daughter on the black market. A little while later there was a commercial about the Alabama Kidney Foundation.” For the next several days Ashley said she saw bumper stickers and shirts about organ donation being the gift of life.
   
God’s messages continued to reassure Ashley throughout the ensuing months. The day her mother came over from her home in Brandon, Miss., to meet the Britts she and Ashley were leaving a restaurant after eating lunch. “A man in the restaurant had on a T-shirt with a message about organ donation,” she said. “I went over and started talking to him and asked about the shirt. He said he hadn’t worn it in years but as he got dressed that morning something told him to wear it. God just kept reassuring me of my decision,” she said by way of explanation.
   
Ashley found out on Valentine’s Day that she was a match for Britt. “I went over that night and took the Britts some cookies I had baked and told them the news,” she said. “They were overwhelmed that this was happening. I could tell that Brother Bobby was leaning more toward me not being his donor because we were not related and he didn’t want me going through the risks,” she said. “I told him that God was leading me to do this. We all tearfully prayed about it that night,” she said, adding that they all agreed to wait a few days but she assured them her decision had been made. “After a couple of days Carolyn called me and said that if I was still willing then they wanted to go through with it. She said Brother Bobby was too emotional to call me himself.”
   
The next step for Ashley was a battery of tests that would entail spending three days in the hospital where her kidneys would undergo intense scrutiny to make sure there were no hidden problems. This would be the final determination in assuring she was an appropriate donor.
   
Ashley also had to have a number of interviews with physicians including a psychologist. “They wanted me to be sure I was aware of all the ramifications involved with a procedure of this type. Since I wasn’t a relative and I wasn’t getting any money for doing this, they were very surprised that I was willing to do this for a stranger.” Ashley said that initially the medical team wanted her to wait six months in the event she changed her mind. “They wanted to make sure I knew of all the risks and that I wouldn’t come back after they had performed all of the preliminary tests and then change my mind. I assured them that I was aware of the risks and that I was at peace with my decision.”
   
The psychologist told Ashley he would note in his report that what she was doing was “very unusual.” “I told the doctors that I would never back down from my decision no matter how nervous I got about it because of all the hope I had given Brother Bobby,” she said.
   
Ashley, in her usual optimistic way, knew that the surgery would take place over the summer because she needed time to recuperate before the fall. Part of her job responsibilities is being the athletic trainer for Pinson Valley High School and her schedule is very hectic after the beginning of the school year.
   
Ashley was initially told that the summer months were not a possibility for the surgery to be scheduled. “I told the hospital the best possible date for me was June 30. I just prayed about it and asked God to let the surgery take place this summer.”
   
And not surprising to Ashley, she received a phone call from the hospital four days later informing her that some scheduling changes opened up a date on June 29. “I knew God would answer this prayer,” she said matter-of-factly.
   
Ashley’s support team is vast. Her mother, who says she is not the least bit surprised about her daughter’s decision, is coming to stay with her during the surgery and recovery period.
   
First Baptist, Trussville, has already made plans to provide meals for them, even going so far as to find out her mother’s favorite dishes. A family friend from Mississippi who is a nurse is coming to stay with Ashley during her time in the hospital and friends and family from out of town are coming to be with her. Ashley is sad that her father, who has been divorced from her mother since Ashley was 2, is not supportive of her decision and thinks she is being foolish for donating a kidney to someone she hardly knows.
   
“I’m not surprised by my father’s attitude but I am disappointed,” she confessed, explaining that he does not have a personal relationship with God. “I seldom see my father but I hope this will touch him in some way and bring him to know God,” she said.
   
And what does the man who is being given a second chance at life feel about the gift of a stranger?
   
“I can’t even put my emotions into words,” Britt tearfully said. “There are no words that are adequate. Ashley is courageous, sensitive and brave. She’s a great young lady and so deeply spiritual. I initially felt so selfish about getting a kidney. By the time you’re my age, the chances of finding a transplant donor are slim. When I first went on dialysis I desperately prayed for healing. I was surprised God didn’t heal me but I came to a place where I accepted whatever was to be. The Lord has taught me so much through this illness. I glory in my weakness,” he said.
   
Britt has served as both a pastor and an evangelist during his ministerial career. He had just re-entered the field of evangelism shortly before he became ill. Despite the fact that he undergoes dialysis every night, he has continued to preach as much as possible.
   
But those who know him best could see the toll on his health.
   
“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,” he confessed. “There have been people all over the world praying for me,” he said.“Ashley is the answer to those prayers. She is such a testimony to the Lord. He will be honored through this. Her gift is having a profound effect on people,” Britt added.