First mom, now dad, give son a spare kidney

ANDERSON, S.C. - Trent Williams loves to ''aggravate'' his dad. He likes to mess up his hair, climb around on him, put him in a headlock and practice his favorite wrestling moves.

That's how the 11-year-old fifth-grader passes long hours in the hospital and on the dialysis treatments that have sustained him since the kidney his mother donated him nine years ago failed.

Fooling around in their living room this week, Trent flexed his muscles and reminded his dad that he'll be better soon - and then his favorite wrestling mate better really watch out.

The kidney that Karen Williams donated to their only son in 1991 has deteriorated consistently. So Trent's father on Friday donated one of his own kidneys during an operation at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in Chapel Hill.

''We're going to be the one-kidney family,'' said Mike Williams, a 46-year-old roofer. ''That's kind of what we laugh about sometimes.''

Trent and his parents laugh about a lot of things. They joke about the 11-year-old's obsession with ''rasslin,'' the girl who flirted with him at Myrtle Beach this summer and the night he stayed up until dawn playing video games with his best friend.

They also joke about the difficulties Mr. Williams had in figuring out their home dialysis machine before the first transplant and the fear one family member feels when the other two are in the operating room.

When he found out that Trent's first transplanted kidney was failing, Williams didn't hesitate to offer his own. But the transplant did not happen in March as planned because tests showed that Williams' kidney is served by two arteries instead of one, which will complicate the surgery.

Waiting for a more compatible kidney match, Trent has had to take his studies home, traveling three times a week for dialysis treatments that make him feel sick.

They have decided now to go ahead with the father-to-son transplant, but this operation is a treatment, not a cure - especially for a child who will likely outlive the life span of a kidney.

''He's got a lot of living to do,'' said Dr. Debbie Gipson, a pediatric kidney specialist who has been Trent's doctor for a year. ''But there will be a time when he'll need more help.''

Some transplanted kidneys last only a few years while others may last more than 30, she said. But an average life span is 10 to 12 years, so several children with kidney problems require additional transplants throughout their lives.

''It really is discouraging. It really bothers me if I think about it,'' Mrs. Williams said. ''We try to take one day at a time, just do what we can and let the rest go.''

Trent's struggle has made their priorities change, making them pull together as a family that's happiest when everyone's at home and healthy, they agreed.

''That might be the purpose of all this,'' Trent said. ''You don't really know the good stuff until you get in a situation like this.''

Their camaraderie and spirit as a family is a blessing that tends to help sick children pull through, Gipson said.

''The gift of a kidney is wonderful - the gift of a family that can cope and work together is irreplaceable,'' she said.

(Contact Amy Hebert of the Anderson Independent-Mail in Anderson, S.C., at http://www.andersonsc.com.)