February 23, 2017
Giving the gift of time … and life
By Edna Sailor
Lexi Taft has a very special grandfather clock. It was given to her by her parents to honor her for her donation of one of her kidneys to her father, Karmon. Engraved on the clock are some special words. They read “A gift of life, a gift of time. Love, Mom and Dad.”
Those simple words commemorate an act of courage and the kidney donation for Karmon Taft. His daughter Lexi was the only match for the kidney donation and she stepped up to make it happen. Taft received his kidney transplant in October of 2016. Out of a number of family members were screened to be donors, only his daughter, Lexi, met all of the conditions. For her it was an obvious decision to make.
“It was simple. You’ll do anything for someone you love. I wanted to do it for my family, for my siblings and to have our dad, for my mom to have her husband, for my baby to have her papa, and ultimately for my dad to have a quality life,” she said
The journey that led to the medical procedure had its roots long before then. As Karmon’s health declined over a number of years, diabetes, TIA or mini stroke, and high blood pressure all took a toll on his kidneys over time.
Those simple words commemorate an act of courage and the kidney donation for Karmon Taft. His daughter Lexi was the only match for the kidney donation and she stepped up to make it happen. Taft received his kidney transplant in October of 2016. Out of a number of family members were screened to be donors, only his daughter, Lexi, met all of the conditions. For her it was an obvious decision to make.
“It was simple. You’ll do anything for someone you love. I wanted to do it for my family, for my siblings and to have our dad, for my mom to have her husband, for my baby to have her papa, and ultimately for my dad to have a quality life,” she said
The journey that led to the medical procedure had its roots long before then. As Karmon’s health declined over a number of years, diabetes, TIA or mini stroke, and high blood pressure all took a toll on his kidneys over time.
