GoodHeart | Daughter thanks mom for ‘giving life twice’

BATON ROUGE, La (AP):

For years, Ambrealle Brown put her dream of becoming a nurse on hold due to a life-threatening kidney disease that left her temporarily incapacitated. As she grappled with doubts about returning to a normal life, her mother offered to donate a kidney. Doctors performed Louisiana’s first robotic kidney transplant, giving Brown a renewed chance at life – and Nija Butler the joy of seeing her daughter thrive.

Nearly two years later, the Louisiana mother and daughter marked another milestone: wearing white caps and gowns, they crossed the stage together in Baton Rouge, graduating from nursing school.

“As parents, we always tell our children, we would die for you, and kids don’t always understand that kind of love,” Butler, 48, said. “I would have given anything for her to live. I mean that from the bottom of my heart, without a second thought.”

In an interview with The Associated Press last month, the two women reflected on their journey and the challenges they’ve overcome. The Louisiana mother-daughter duo has always been close. Butler gave birth to Brown while in high school, and in many ways, they grew up together. She devoted herself to raising Brown and her son, while Brown dreamed of becoming a nurse.

But in 2016, when Brown was diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a rare kidney disease that can cause kidney failure, everything changed. Her prognosis quickly worsened. One day, Brown, who was taking prerequisite courses for nursing school, felt her legs tighten to the point that she could not move.

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Shortly after, Brown’s doctor delivered detrimental news: Brown would either need to start dialysis or have a kidney transplant to survive. The average wait for a kidney transplant in the US can vary from two to five years, or longer, depending on certain factors, based on data from the National Kidney Foundation.

Brown desperately hoped for a new kidney. But as she awaited news of a transplant, she was forced to turn to dialysis , a treatment that lasted nine to 13 hours, every single day. Brown’s daily life was limited, and she had to stop school.

After years of dialysis, Butler said she saw a shift in her daughter, who was typically optimistic.

“It was like she wanted to give up,” Butler recalled about a phone call with her daughter. “She was tired of just being connected to a tube that her life revolved around.”

Although doctors had previously told Butler she likely wasn’t a match to be a kidney donor for her daughter, she still scheduled an appointment to get tested the next day. She opted not to tell her daughter, not wanting to get her hopes up in case it wasn’t a viable match.

Soon after, Brown got news she had been waiting five years to hear – she was getting a new kidney. She called her mother to tell her, but her mom already knew. Confused, Brown asked her mother how she would know that.

“It’s me,” Butler responded.

The two underwent surgery in March 2023, with Tulane University School of Medicine doctors performing the state’s first kidney transplant using a robotic surgical system. The practice offers increased precision so the procedure is minimally invasive, hoping there will be less pain and a speedier recovery.

After the surgery, Brown returned her focus to school. Her mother decided to get her registered nurse’s license as well.

For 16 months, they were attached at the hip. They sat together, studied together, and, in April, graduated from the Baton Rouge General School of Nursing together.

“I couldn’t have done it without her because nursing school is hard,” Brown, 34, said. “I’m happy that I was able to go through that milestone with her side by side.”

Brown has accepted a job at a burns intensive care unit, and Butler is continuing her career at a psychiatric facility.

The ladies hope their story inspires others to never give up and also spread awareness about the importance of medical testing and the donor and transplant process.