Paige Flotkoetter (left) and Hudson Nash (Image: Facebook/A Kidney for Hudson)
A woman is being hailed as an “angel sent from above” after donating her kidney to save the life of a 1-year-old boy last Tuesday, July 7.
Paige Flotkoetter, of North Carolina, USA, decided to give her kidney to little Hudson Nash in California after learning about his condition last December.
Hudson was born with a chronic kidney disease back in August 2018, as per the Children’s Organ Transplant Association. Soon after his birth, doctors found massive damage in both of his kidneys. They also noted that Hudson would need a transplant before he turns 2 years old.
“He spent the first two months of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit,” his mother, Jamie, told CBS-affiliate WFMY on July 7.
Months after his first birthday, Hudsons’ parents began to send out letters in December explaining his condition and that they were looking for a kidney donor.
One letter eventually reached Flotkoetter, who is married to a distant cousin of the Nash family. After learning of their situation, Flotkoetter, a mother herself, got tested to see if her kidney would be a match for Hudson.
“I thought the odds of it were probably slim-to-none since I wasn’t even related,” Flotkoetter was quoted as saying.
However, the results revealed that she was a good match for Hudson. She then immediately contacted Jamie.
“I could barely get the words out. I was tearing up and I was like, ‘We’re a match, we can do this,” Flotkoetter said in the report.
Following her decision, they planned for the surgery to happen last April in Los Angeles. However, it was rescheduled to July 7 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
After the postponement, Flotkoetter and her husband flew to California last week ahead of the transplant.
When asked why she decided to donate her kidney, Flotkoetter simply said, “Well, I would want someone to step up and do it for my child.”
Following the successful operation, the Nash family shared the good news on a Facebook page dedicated to Hudson.
“Hudson’s kidney transplant was a success! Hudson and Paige are doing well,” they said alongside a photo of Flotkoetter and Hudson.
“We still have a long road to recovery, but we are celebrating this huge milestone tonight,” they added.
They also expressed their gratitude for Flotkoetter, whom they called their “angel sent from above.” Flotkoetter and Hudson are now recovering in separate units in the hospital. Ryan Arcadio /ra
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