UPDATE: Debbie Huffman, Sami Wilson's aunt, had successful surgery donating a kidney as part of the kidney swap progra that helped her niece get a kidney. She was to be released from the hospital today.

 

ORIGINAL: It was Dec. 18. Bridgeport’s Kim Wilson was at home by herself getting things ready for what she expected to be the most important day in her family’s life.

 

Kim Wilson was getting things ready to take her daughter Sami to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. Father Mike Wilson was working. Family members were dropping off food for the time away. In just a few days, Sami would be having kidney transplant surgery. An ordeal the family could have never anticipated appeared to be nearing the finish line.

 

The entire family, she said, was thrilled to be so close. Part of that family was Debbie Branham Huffman, who is Kim’s sister, Sami’s aunt, and the donor of Sami’s soon-to-be-new kidney.

 

“I remember everything about that day. Sami was getting dialysis in Clarksburg for what she thought was the last time,” said Wilson. “I was at home by myself when the phone call came. I couldn’t believe what I was told.”

 

What she was told was the long-awaited transplant surgery was off. A blood transfusion done in August had changed the antibodies in Sami Wilson. Although the change had taken months, her chemistry of her system was different and because of that Sami Wilson and her Aunt Debbie were no longer a match.

 

The call came two days before leaving. Wilson said they did not expect it because, even though they were told the transfusion came with the risk of an antibody change, the risk was minimal. Wilson said they were told it was right around 1 percent.

 

“I didn’t want to tell Sami and I definitely wasn’t going to call and tell her. I waited for her to get home and, God love her, she thought we were joking, but then she just knew. It was so devastating. It was the worst day of our lives,” said Kim Wilson. “Debbie felt even worse thinking she was saving Sami’s life and now she wasn’t.”

 

Turns out, Aunt Debbie did save Sami Wilson’s life. She just did it in a different manner and, as it turned out, on a different timetable. Or as Kim Wilson said, “We decided we were on God’s timeline.”

 

God’s timeline, as Kim Wilson will gladly tell you, became family knowledge March 8. On that day, the phone call came that it was time for surgery. And, yes, Aunt Debbie was involved.

 

As it turned out, Debbie Huffman was on the swap list, part of the living donor program. She was a match for a family that needed a kidney that was a match for Sami. All things were in order for surgery that took place this past Tuesday, March 16 – a successful surgery as well.

 

The time in between, however, was difficult. Kim Wilson said that after the cancelation, Sami put her in Facebook prison regarding updates on the transplant because things had gone wrong in the past.

 

“She told me no more posting on Facebook. She banned me,” said Kim with a laugh. “I was okay with that because I kept my family and friends and work family up to date with everything that was going on. We just decided to concentrate among ourselves for the time being.”

 

The decision in December proved to be a good one on focusing on themselves. The family would need it. After the holidays passed, a very unwelcome gift arrived – and a potentially dangerous one – in the Wilson household.

 

“Sammi got COVID in January. Her symptoms were very minimal and for three days; thank goodness,” said Kim. “Mike and I got it after that, and we had to wait at least a month to clear her for surgery. The thought now is that having her antibodies built up after surgery is a good thing; something we don’t have to worry about.”

 

Having Aunt Debbie on the list proved to be one less thing to worry about (and she also had her successful kidney surgery Thursday). While things were going bad on several fronts, the living donor program was working the swap. Of course, it could not go fast enough for the Wilson family.

 

“It was a long process. You wouldn’t hear something for a few weeks, then it became a couple of months,” said Kim. “Looking back, you understand because it’s a pretty big ordeal.”

 

The ordeal for Sami Wilson ended this week. She has a new kidney. Things are going as well as can be expected. And the reaction when Kim walked in to see her daughter in the ICU after surgery is something she will never forget.

 

“She cried as soon as we walked in. Maybe the anesthesia played a role, but she just cried,” said Kim. “I’m sure she was happy to be awake and for it to be over. She was overwhelmed to know she had a great healthy kidney that’s working.”

 

If all goes as planned, there will be a few more medical procedures this coming week starting Monday when doctors will remove her urine catheter. That will be followed by a surgery to remove her dialysis catheter.

 

“There are a few more steps, but she’s thankful to everyone and the entire family is overwhelmed for the support and the prayers,” said Kim. “Sami is ready to live her life. She’s ready to go back to college and get a job. She can’t wait to do normal things. Right now, she’s high on the mountain and loving every minute of it.

 

“That seemed like something impossible in December when that phone call came because we were all down,” Kim continued. “We got ourselves up when we placed it in God’s hands and (Tuesday) turned into the best day of our lives.”

 

Editor's Note: Photos showing Sami Wilson, above, and with her mother Kim and father Mike below, are courtesy of Kim Wilson.