Kidney transplant gives a law partner a second chance at life
By Bethany Cates
Click here for updates on this story
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (WXII) — Erik Harvey, a law partner at Bennett Guthrie PLLC, had been on dialysis for nearly a decade before his associate, Elizabeth Lawson, stepped forward to donate her kidney.
“It’s one of those things where you get a second chance at something, so you don’t know how you’re supposed to feel, but you’re just very happy and have a lot of gratitude,” Harvey said.
Harvey and Lawson have known each other for 15 years, with Lawson’s children even referring to him as “Uncle Erik.”
Harvey’s health journey took a turn when he went in for an annual physical and discovered his kidneys had failed.
“I just put on all this weight, and I didn’t know why, and so she tested me and on the drive home, she told me to get to the hospital because, seemingly, my kidneys had failed,” Harvey said.
Lawson said when it came to being a donor, she didn’t think twice.
“I was the first one that went in when they opened the gates to go and get tested,” said Elizabeth Lawson.
After nearly eight and a half years of dialysis at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Harvey was transferred to Duke for his second chance.
“I don’t know if there’s a way to make someone’s life easier than what’s happened for me because I used to essentially live a factory life, where my body was the factory,” Harvey said.
Lawson found out she was a match and donated her kidney, allowing Harvey to thrive once again.
“It’s good for him to be able to get back and do what he wants to do because he’s kind of the person that pushed me into doing this,” Lawson said.
Harvey said there are not enough words to express his gratitude for this life-saving measure.
“Ever since I got the transplant, it’s all been good days, and I think it just changes your mindset a lot,” Harvey said.
He describes this experience as freeing a trapped animal, granting him a new level of freedom, being able to fully function at work and be present in all aspects of life.
After all, Lawson said that workdays are now more enjoyable with her coach and mentor back at full capacity.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.