LIVONIA, Mich. – There are 2,106 people in Michigan waiting for a kidney transplant, including 16 children.
As those patients and their families hope and pray that a kidney will come in time, a Livonia family is grateful for their chance to give their son life -- not once, but twice.
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It was hugs all around Monday, April 1, at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Little Micah is just two, but even he understands why they’re celebrating.
The Guzicks were living in North Carolina, where Mike was serving in the army when an ultrasound revealed something was wrong with their precious baby boy. They had miscarried twice before Micah, so it was an emotional experience for the couple.
Micah’s kidneys weren’t developing normally and soon after he was born, they learned he would ultimately need a kidney transplant.
“If he needed it and if I could, I would give him give him the beating heart out of my body,” said Audra Guzick. “I mean, it’s just no question what you do for your children.”
Mike was tested, but doctors discovered he had kidney stones that prevented him from donating. Fortunately, Audra was a match and cleared for surgery.
“I was sitting there crying on the side of the road really just to know that my son was able to get a kidney,” Audra recalled.
The successful transplant took place last October.
“It was a 10-fold improvement right away, and that showed the kidney response was wonderful,” said Dr. Amrish Jain
Jain said living donor transplants like Micah’s not only help the recipient, but also others waiting on the list.
Micah’s parents hope his story will encourage others to consider organ donation.
“There was a minute there when he was rejected. We weren’t sure if I was going to be accepted as a donor we weren’t going to be dependent on you know, a stranger to save the life of our child,” Audra recalled. “So I’m so glad that I was able to be the one but again, not every family is in that situation.”
Micah’s family and doctors encourage everyone to check the box on their license to become an organ donor and discuss that decision with their family.
You can learn more about organ donation here.
You can learn more about living kidney donation here.