NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A mother gave her young son a second chance at life on Wednesday after she donated one of her kidneys to him as an attempt to save his life.
Shafer Daves was just 10 days old when he was diagnosed with an extremely rare medical condition called Denys-Drash syndrome, that can cause kidney failure and cancer.
The syndrome is so rare, only about 200 other cases have been recorded.
"From the beginning, once we knew from day 10 of his life that he was [going to] have some health issues, it was a race to kidney cancer or kidney failure, because he tested positive for a kidney cancer disease as well," explained father Kevin Daves.
Now at 20-months, the child has been on dialysis since last October.
"It's definitely life or death, he's been on dialysis since he was one-year-old, his kidneys failed on his birthday," Daves told Nashville's News 2.
According to Daves, if cancer had presented itself first, Shafer would have had to undergo at least two years of cancer treatment and wouldn't be eligible for the transplant at this point.
"We were excited his kidneys failed, because he did beat cancer. [My wife is going to] give him the best chance of having a kidney that will last as long as possible, so we're excited about that," he said.
Doctors have told the family, mother Jada's kidney is considered a perfect match and could last the young child 10 to 15 years.
"When the transplant coordinator called us with the news of the blood results, they were jumping through the phone, they said, ‘We don't get to make this phone call very often, but Jada you are a perfect match for Shafer,'" Daves said.
The mother and son underwent surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Nearly two dozen family members and friends showed their support of the mother and son by waiting in the hospital waiting room with Daves and the couple's other four children.
"It's a huge blessing to know we've got the support system we have." Daves said, adding,
"You can't do anything more than just walk through it, have a strong faith and just pray God delivers the results we're asking for."
Jada's brother, John Ledford was among those family members at the hospital.
"This is a big part of our personality now, who we've become, it's a big part of our life, and we all root for him and my sister. It's exciting and gripping and sad and terrifying all at the same time," he said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, both Shafer and Jada were recovering from the transplant surgery.
The family will continue to rent a home in Nashville for the next six to eight weeks before returning to their home in Chattanooga.
Click here for more information on Shafer's progress.
