ABERDEEN, S.D. – This summer, Abigail Doney got married, celebrated a milestone birthday—and received the gift of life.
Doney, a speech-language pathologist at Simmons Elementary School, never expected to have so many momentous occasions at once. But she also never expected her health to suddenly decline last fall.
Doney and her husband, Wes, got married on Saturday, May 25.
“We picked the wedding date before I got sick,” she explained.
Three weeks later, on Wednesday, June 19, they got the call—a kidney was available.
From there, everything happened quickly. They traveled to Fargo the next morning for testing to see if it was a match.
“We got the call on Friday that it was going to me,” Doney said.
By that night, the transplant was underway.
“I went into the operating room at 8 p.m., and then came out a little after midnight,” she said. “And that Saturday the 22nd was my 30th birthday. So it was a birthday kidney.”
The date now marks a celebration of life for Doney in more ways than one, following seven months of health struggles.
It all started last November, when Doney got sick with what she thought was a typical sinus infection. Despite antibiotics, she steadily worsened over the next two weeks. When she went back to the doctor, tests revealed that her kidneys were failing, and she was immediately airlifted to Sioux Falls.
There, Doney spent about a week in the ICU. After additional testing, she received a diagnosis of ANCA (anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic autoantibody) vasculitis, a rare disease that was causing her immune system to attack her body. Doctors believed the illness had been lying dormant in her system and was triggered by her recent antibiotics.
Initially, they thought her kidneys would bounce back after some dialysis, which she was able to do back in Aberdeen at DaVita Dialysis Center. But a few months later, further testing revealed that too much damage had been done—Doney had end-stage renal disease, and her options were to remain on dialysis for life or undergo a kidney transplant.
Doney said being so young and wanting to start a family at some point, she and her husband decided a transplant was the right decision.
“Before we got the call, both my husband and my brother were going through the process of getting their kidneys tested to see if they could be eligible donors.”
She chose to have the operation in Fargo, which is her hometown and where her parents live.
Full-Circle Moment
One special moment during the transplant process came during her hospital stay. Ten years ago, Doney’s uncle passed away from a heart attack, and she realized she was staying in the exact same hospital room.
“It was really special because he was an organ donor that saved many lives,” she said. “… It was just kind of a full-circle moment that I ended up in his same hospital room.”
After her transplant, Doney spent about a week in the hospital, then needed to remain in Fargo for a month because she had frequent labs and appointments.
She said she is thankful for the transplant team and also the staff at DaVita, who she grew very close to during her seven months on dialysis.
“They were the first ones I called when I found out I was getting a kidney, and they were so excited,” she said.
Now, Doney is back at work for the new school year, with some restrictions. She’s on immunosuppression medications and needs to be extra careful about germs. She also has weekly lab work and monthly appointments in Fargo. But she’s looking forward to not needing to plan her schedule around dialysis—and also being able to drink more fluids.
“While on dialysis, I was on a fluid restriction of 32 oz of fluids per day,” she said. “But now with my new kidney, I get to drink 100+ oz per day!”
Thankful for Little Things
Overall, Doney said she’s grateful for the little things she used to take for granted.
“Even things like traveling or hanging out in big groups of people—things that you wouldn't really think twice about until you can't do it,” she said.
Through an organization called LifeSource, Doney had the opportunity to write a letter to her donor’s family. The family can write back if they choose to—and they have.
“That's just really had a huge impact because they were able to tell me about my donor and his life—about his kids and his family and the things he liked to do,” she said. “Just hearing from them, too, and knowing that they were so excited to learn about my life and the impact that their loved one had; they're like, ‘you know as hard as it is that we lost him, at least we have some comfort in knowing that you’ll get to live a full life now.”
Now after this experience, Doney considers herself an advocate for the importance of organ donation and likes to share her story.
“They always tell you about being an organ donor, but until you're in that situation you don't really know how important it is,” she said. “And now, I'll be grateful for the rest of my life that this man chose to give the gift of life.”
About the Aberdeen Public School District
The Aberdeen Public School District provides a comprehensive educational program to approximately 4,200 students in grades K-12, with a mission of empowering all students to succeed in a changing world. Our students receive the knowledge and skills necessary to reach their potential in a global community through high expectations of academic achievement; diverse educational opportunities; and community involvement in a safe, supportive environment. Learn more at aberdeen.k12.sd.us.