Florida mother giving 2-year-old son the gift of a second chance at life

Published January 13, 2015

This Mother’s Day, a Florida mom is giving her son a special gift.

Melissa Ranieri is giving her 2-year-old son Evan a kidney -- and a shot at a normal life, Fox 13 in Tampa Bay reports.

Evan’s kidneys are underdeveloped and he has been fighting since he was born; he spends a lot of time hooked up to dialysis machines, the station reports.

"It's really difficult. The first couple of times, you can't really put it into words. But we've grown accustomed to this," Melissa Ranieri told Fox 13 of the treatments.

The kidney transplant is scheduled for this month, and Evan’s dad is thrilled his wife is an organ donor match for their son.

"I think it's unbelievable, the fact that we'll be able to go swimming, something like that. He can't get wet. Stuff like that is just awesome," Paul Ranieri said.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-mother-giving-2-year-old-son-the-gift-of-a-second-chance-at-life