It may now be September before Evangelist Bobby Britt receives a lifesaving kidney from the friend he has only known a few months.
The 65-year-old Britt was scheduled to receive a kidney from Ashley Fisher, 25, on June 29. Britt’s need for a kidney transplant is a result of contracting Wegner’s disease, a debilitating illness that in rare cases causes kidney failure.
The surgery was postponed just 12 hours before the procedure after doctors discovered Britt had antibodies in his blood that might cause rejection of Fisher’s kidney. Britt said it is believed that antibodies came from two units of blood he received during gallbladder surgery he underwent in February.
Britt is now scheduled to be checked for the presence of antibodies again at the end of August, with surgery likely in September if he is found negative for antibodies at that time. “The doctors told us we needed to wait a couple of months to be sure the antibodies were gone,” his wife, Carolyn, said.
“I was very disappointed, but not discouraged,” Britt said. “The Lord has a time for everything, but the time is not right.”
Britt expressed sympathy for Fisher that the delay in surgery is interfering with her schedule.
“It was a letdown,” Fisher said. “I am concerned for him.”
Like Britt, Fisher also expressed peace with the situation. “I wasn’t disappointed, because I know God is still in control,” Fisher said.
The story of how the two met in January when Britt spoke at Fisher’s church — First Baptist, Trussville — was chronicled in the June 28 issue of The Alabama Baptist.
Fisher- 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. During the evening service she learned Britt had been on dialysis for five years and was in need of a kidney transplant. Within a few days she called about being tested as a kidney donor.
For now, the two are playing a waiting game in hope of more encouraging news when Britt’s blood is rechecked next month.
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