Mother donates kidney to daughter, both now encouraging more donors
By Jim Abath
Click here for updates on this story
HARVEST, Alabama (WAAY) — Mothers and daughters are naturally very close, but for one particular duo from Harvest, there’s an extra special bond.
Before she was even born, De’Azya Blake was already having kidney issues. At six months old, doctors removed her polycystic kidney. Then at five years old, she had a biopsy.
“And that’s when they realized that my kidney, the one that I still had, which was my left kidney, started failing a little bit,” Blake said.
And so, her journey started. She took monthly trips and celebrated birthdays at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She also took eight to ten pills a day to regulate her levels.
It wasn’t easy for Blake or her mother, Dimeccia Ford.
“You never knew how it would be until you get to the point where, OK, it’s getting worse,” Ford said. “You know, we got to decide what we’re going to do.”
That point came when Blake was 21. Dialysis? Not an option.
“Trying to have conversations with her about dialysis was like talking to this wall,” Ford added. “She did not want that at all.”
So, they put Blake on the transplant list, and they had family tested for compatibility.
“My mom was like ‘Oh, I’ll get tested,’ ” Blake said. “I was like ‘Girl, please. Don’t do that.’ You know, just like what am I supposed to do? You know, all I have is my Mom.”
But her Mom was a match. They not only moved forward with Ford donating a kidney to her daughter. It was a huge success!
“You wouldn’t believe that they had to quiet me down because like an hour or two, after the anesthesia wore off and I was in the back room, I was screaming, and want to get up,” Blake said. “It was exciting to me, and it was changing to me, like I feel like a whole new person.”
Four years later, Blake is still checking in at Vanderbilt, and her mother still kids her.
“Don’t ask for any more Christmas, birthday, any more gifts because that was a major gift,” Ford said, with her daughter giggling next to her.
Now, the two spread the word about kidney donations. Their message to anyone thinking about donating their own kidney?
“Think of someone else who could possibly benefit from that, who could live to see another day, who could live and try to be on the journey that you’re on, the inspiration you can create for someone else,” Blake said.
You can count on Blake and Ford being at the 2026 Huntsville Kidney Walk and Celebration. This year’s walk is Saturday, April 18 at the Alabama A&M Agribition Center. It starts at 9:30 a.m. The Florence walk is one week later, April 25 at River Heritage Park. That one starts at 9:00 a.m. You can get more information on both and how to register here.
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.