A Very Special Anniversary

Karon Barksdale recently was the guest of honor at a very special party… It was the 20th anniversary of her kidney transplant.

Daughter Kelli was in kindergarten when Karon had transplant surgery at Henry Ford Hospital, and she was also the motivating factor behind Karon wanting the procedure. “One of the biggest things was I wanted to be okay for her. I didn’t feel bad before the transplant, but I was extremely tired.” As a kindergarten teacher, Karon was used to being tired, the symptoms of kidney failure were a different level.

“The summer I did dialysis was very difficult for us. I had an open port for dialysis, so I couldn’t go swimming, couldn’t do long vacations… I just wanted to be there for Kelli,” Karon remembers.

Karon’s family was very supportive, she recalls, “The waiting room was full of people on the day of surgery. I mean full of people! Having a life with friends and family... It’s been everything.”

Thanks to her living donor kidney transplant, Karon has had the chance to do life with Kelli through high school graduation, a college degree and the launch of her career. Plus, Kristi, her sister and kidney donor, had two boys who she had the chance to be aunt to. And one of them has children, so Karon also holds the title, “Surrogate Grandma.”

Sister and kidney donor Kristi chimed in, “I really had no understanding of what being a kidney donor was. When she said she needed it, I said, ‘Oh, test me!’ I honestly didn't think I would match her. She commented at the party that we’re so different. For some reason we thought if we looked different, I wasn't going to be a match, but I really was! I'm going to honestly tell you, I was hoping my other sister would match because frankly, I was scared. But when they came back and said I was almost a perfect match, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to do it.”

While Karon has had health battles over the years, including a growth that triggered the removal of one of her native kidneys, and a serious struggle with COVID, she remains alive and well, with her transplanted kidney still functioning for an uncommon twenty years!

Invitees at her 20-year kidney party included Marwan Abouljoud, M.D., who placed her donor kidney twenty years ago, and Jason Denny, M.D., who removed the kidney from Kristi. Both still hold vital roles at Henry Ford, Dr. Abouljoud as Director of the Transplant program and Dr. Denny as Director of the Center for Living Donation.

Asked about the benefits she’s received from being Karon’s kidney donor, Kristi recalls moments like graduations, birthday parties and the birth of grandchildren, along with Karon’s many years teaching, “She's very short, but she's a little bundle of energy. And the fact that she worked with those kids for so long and raised her own child by herself. I was there when she retired from Detroit Schools, and it was kind of special to see that she finally got to that point.” She also recalls the peace of having Karon by her side through the passing of their mother and sister, “She was around for a lot of good things, but we held each other’s hands through the tough stuff too.”

What does Kristi have to say to anyone considering kidney donation? “Absolutely. Hands down. Do it! The idea that you can actually save someone's life without losing yours and be here to watch them grow and prosper and flourish is still kind of unbelievable to me.”