Hometown Rankin - June & July 2017

Knowing that being placed on a transplant list and then waiting for a kidney to
become available would likely be a long and arduous process, Matt and Ashley
decided that each of them would get tested to see if they were a match. Miraculously,
they both were great candidates to donate to Sawyer! Matt decided that he would
take the lead and proceed with the additional preparations to give one of his kidneys
to Sawyer. There were seemingly infinite visits to every kind of doctor that tested
and evaluated Matt from head to toe, but in the end, he was deemed a worthy
donor. In order for a small child like Sawyer to receive an adult organ, however,
he had to reach a certain weight (22 pounds to be exact). At 18 months old, Sawyer
had finally grown big enough, and father and son went into the operating rooms
where their lives changed forever.
“I was blessed to be able to be a kidney match and give Sawyer a chance at a
better and healthier life. There was no hesitation when I heard I was a match.
I immediately said yes. We are thankful it has given Sawyer a chance to thrive and
love life like he does. He is the greatest little boy and I am thankful to be his dad,”
said Matt.
Today, Sawyer is a six-year-old social butterfly. He never meets a stranger, and
sings and dances to his heart’s desire. He is doing well in school, though he has a
few developmental delays due to spending the first 2 years of his life in the hospital.
He runs and plays just like any other kid, but does so just a little more carefully than
most. Ashley explained, “His life has made us stronger in our faith and taught us, as
a family, just to roll with life. It’s hard to have a disabled child, but he is so loving and
energetic and fun that you forget he’s disabled all the time.”
Along with his 3-year-old sister Sadie and 9-month-old sister Frannie, Sawyer
continues to approach everything with an excitement and fervor reflective of the
second chance he’s been given through the immense love and generosity of his father.
E.E. Cummings once wrote, “I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart).
I am never without it (anywhere I go you go, my dear)”. It may not have been a
heart that was donated, but it is clear that Matt’s kidney was given in an abundance
of love. Sawyer will forever carry his father with him, both in body and spirit. His
journey proves that love truly does triumph over all. n
Hometown Rankin • 61