Sara Cathey and her 2-year-old niece Natalyn Mann sometimes wish to play exterior and leap on the trampoline after they’re collectively, however this weekend was a bit totally different.

“I’m nonetheless fairly sore, however house and recovering,” stated Cathey, a Beaufort County paramedic who’s resting after donating her kidney to her niece.

Round Memorial Day 2021, Natalyn was identified with Bilateral Renal Artery Stenosis (RAS), which leads to the narrowing of an artery that connects her kidneys. Medical doctors additionally discovered that she had mesangial sclerosis, a genetic mutation that may trigger cancerous tumors. Natalyn’s RAS may have been detected throughout gestation, Cathey stated, as a result of her kidneys would have “shriveled up” with out sufficient blood stream however, due to the mesangial sclerosis, they gave the impression to be a standard dimension.

“She (Natalyn) can’t all the time inform you what’s improper, and he or she’s so robust,” Cathey stated Sunday. “Her ache tolerance is so excessive. When she complains about ache, it’s like ‘Oh God, OK, we’ve acquired to go!’”

Cathey had “by no means been extra scared” watching Natalyn’s well being decline, she posted on a GoFundMe web page the place she has been giving periodic updates since her niece’s prognosis.

With out sufficient blood stream to her kidneys and the potential of tumors, Natalyn was left needing a double nephrectomy to have each kidneys eliminated in July 2021. Regardless of the needles, feeding tubes and ache, Cathey stated, Natalyn, often known as “Miss Sassy” and “Booboo,” has saved her smile and playful spirit.

“She is a bundle of pleasure smiling since day one,” Cathey stated. “She will be cold and hot as a result of she is going to flip a change, however she’s tremendous outgoing. I can’t anticipate her to grow old; I’m able to see that bubbly character.”

Over the past 12 months of hospital visits, Natalyn’s aunt estimates her niece has been house solely 4 months out of the final 12. After the double nephrectomy, the 2-year-old was in a position to go house for the primary time in months, a small victory for members of the family who knew Natalyn would finally have to return for a transplant. She was in a position to be along with her three older brothers and different members of the family who gathered to rejoice her homecoming.

‘The kidney is working’

“It’s a fantastic feeling to have her house. Everyone missed her,” Cathey stated. “It’s additionally a bit scary when she comes house since you don’t need her to get sick, and everybody goes to wish to come over.”

When it was time to check to see who was eligible for a kidney donation, Cathey stated she began working to drop some pounds straight away, hoping she may very well be a match. Having a dwelling donor who’s genetically much like the recipient is right as a result of it means there may be much less of a threat of rejection. The one drawback, she stated, was that she weighed 278 kilos.

“I began shedding weight as a result of the transplant staff informed me I couldn’t even be examined to be her donor,” Cathey stated. “Clearly, she needed to be stabilized. I didn’t know I used to be her donor till January of this 12 months.”

By April 2022, virtually a 12 months after her niece’s first prognosis, Cathey had dropped 110 kilos.

“Everyone at work was tremendous supportive; all people in my house life was tremendous supportive,” Cathey stated. “I had a whole lot of motivation along with her, clearly. Her mother would trip the golf cart behind me whereas I used to be working.”

The July 6 surgical procedure was imagined to final 4 hours, however a blood stream problem meant that it took twice as lengthy as a substitute, Cathey stated.

“The kidney was on ice quite a bit longer than they anticipated for a dwelling donor, so that they informed my household, ‘Don’t be alarmed, she may not produce urine for 3 to eight weeks,’” she stated. “An hour after surgical procedure, she began producing urine. The kidney is working actually good.”

Whereas recuperating, Cathey has gone to go to her niece most day by day.

“I believe I watched ‘Frozen’ along with her 4 instances within the hospital yesterday,” she stated. “She acquired up and walked for the primary time yesterday, The kidney is working.”

As of Sunday, Natalyn was “doing OK,” however medical doctors have been nonetheless working to stabilize her blood stress with out drugs. Natalyn has been fed by way of a feeding tube for the final three months however was in a position to eat Saturday for the primary time. She had a hen and cheese quesadilla with joyful face potatoes, her aunt stated.

“I believe she was extra scared she wasn’t going to have the ability to eat once more,” Cathey stated. “She ate each final little bit of it and that’s by no means been like her. She’s by no means completed her plate of something.”

As soon as the 2 are recovered, they’ll get again to cooking, singing and leaping on the trampoline, Cathey stated.

“The love and help from our group has been really wonderful,” she stated. “I don’t know easy methods to put in phrases to thank anyone. We’ve had folks attain out from throughout, and it has been a real blessing.”

This story was initially printed July 11, 2022 9:48 AM.

Sofia Sanchez is a breaking information reporter at The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. She experiences on crime and creating tales in Beaufort and its surrounding areas. Sofia is a Cuban-American reporter from Florida and graduated from Florida Worldwide College in 2020.