A New Orleans, Louisiana mom who recently donated a kidney to her daughter gave her life — again.
“I gave her life once, and I said, ‘Why not, we're gonna give her life again,” Melissa Naquin told 4029-News of her decision.
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Naquin’s 12-year-old daughter, Alyse, has lived with kidney disease for almost two years. Recently, however, doctors informed her that she required a kidney transplant.
Some patients in need of a new kidney could wait years — the National Kidney Foundation says the average wait time is three to five years — but luckily for Alyse, she found a match in her mother. The two underwent surgery around Christmas.
"It’s very special that my mom gave me a kidney," Alyse told 4029-News. "To not be on dialysis at night is awesome and to eat what I want, it’s like a whole new life."
Chronic kidney disease, or CKD, affected an estimated 30 million people in the U.S., according to the foundation's latest statistics. The organization says “causes more deaths than breast cancer or prostate cancer.”
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Alyse, who has experienced its effects first hand, is determined to help researchers find a cure. So far, the 12-year-old and her family have reportedly raised more than $25,000 for kidney disease research.
"It’s definitely brought us a lot closer, a lot closer as a family, a lot closer to God," Naquin said of the experience.
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