A mother’s perspective

Most of you probably know the story of my son Ben’s illness when he was 14. He miraculously survived the rare and often fatal syndrome that attacked him from nowhere, but he was left with no kidneys. He needed a transplant. Several family members tried to donate a kidney to him, but all of us were rejected for one reason or another. After a year of dialysis we got a call that a kidney was available for Benjamin. 

We grabbed our clothes and headed for UAB, elated. Our elation was tempered by sadness when we learned that the donor was an 18-month old baby girl who had died; we learned by accident that the baby’s name was Catherine. After all these years, little Catherine’s kidney still filters the blood in Ben’s body. Today, Ben and Paula have honored her memory by naming their baby girl Ansley Catherine.

2011 Facebook post from 

Martine Bates Sharp
Hartselle, Ala.