Jamie Taylor’s fight was not over after beating breast cancer in 2012.
About a year later, she was diagnosed with kidney failure, and so began her journey with dialysis treatments.
“It was kind of scary because I did not know if that was something that I was going to do for the remainder of my life,” she said. “It was something I had to do, and I did it as scheduled. I am a trooper.”
Immediately after working her full-time job, she would head to her dialysis clinic. Three times a week, she would be hooked up to a machine for four to five hours, relying on the machine to filter the waste from her blood rather than her kidney.
Taylor continued this routine for five years, and in those years, she learned about organ transplants — something she had no prior knowledge of. Four years of being on the national transplant waitlist and seven potential donor opportunities later, she received a kidney donation from 27-year-old Jacob Lewis.
“You are an angel,” she said about Lewis. “You are a life saver. You are special.”
August is National Minority Donor Awareness month, a month dedicated to informing minority groups of the importance of being a donor.
For Elliott Stubblefield, National Minority Donor Awareness Month is every day. As the community development coordinator at Indiana Donor Network, his job is to engage with minority groups in Indiana, create conversations and debunk common misconceptions about donation.
Many minorities have little knowledge about organ donations and the transplant process. Stubblefield said if he can reach out to the community, learn about their donation hesitancies and educate them about donating, then he can help shorten the time someone is on the national transplant waiting list — which is one of the goals of Indiana Donor Network, an organization that delivers organs to hospitals across the nation.
Kidneys are the most needed and commonly transplanted organ, making up more than 83% of the people on the national transplant waitlist. More than 105,000 people are on the waiting list, and each day, 17 people die waiting for an organ transplant, according to Health Resources & Services Administration.
However, this process is not only about shortening the time a person is on the waitlist, but it is also about supporting the donor family emotionally.
“We have strategically built a system around supporting the donor family,” Stubblefield said. “You’ve already lost your loved one, so our goal is to help you through your grief process, help you through the donation process and then celebrate your family member the best way we can.”
Julie Lewis’ voice cracked as she talked about her son’s love of God, the ocean and the New England Patriots football team. Jacob was a loving and optimistic person, she said, even given his circumstances.
At 8, Jacob had a massive stroke, leaving him disabled. He began having seizures at 24, and at 27, he had a seizure that left him on life support.
His family had many decisions to make, including if they should donate his organs. The decision was unanimous.
“There wasn’t a doubt about donating Jacob’s organs,” she said. “He almost died when he was 8, but he got a second chance, and now he gets to give someone else a second chance.”
Lewis’ husband died while waiting for a lung transplant, and she along with the other family members knew that donation was the best thing to do. She said Indiana Donor Network took their “sorrows and sadness and made it beautiful.”
Meeting Taylor and seeing her “beautiful soul” was also confirmation for Lewis that donation was the right decision.
“She’s a part of the family,” Lewis said. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t miss Jacob, and I know that I will see my son again. She is just wonderful, and she is a part of our family. I pray for her daily.”
The Taylor and Lewis families met after exchanging letters with each other and noticing they lived in the same ZIP code, just six minutes away. Since then, they regularly communicate with each other over the phone and in person.
Taylor, who has lost her mother and grandmother while they were both on dialysis, is grateful for Jacob and the Lewis family and shares her story to help people understand the importance of donation.
“Her son has given me the gift of a second chance at life,” she said. “I am proud, and I am thankful.”
Contact religion reporter Abriana Herron at 317-924-5243 or by email abrianah@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @Abri_onyai. Herron is a Report for America corps member and writes about the role of Black churches in the community.
