TEXAS, USA — A Tyler native’s journey is reaching a new chapter on Thursday as she and her cousin prepare for a life changing surgery.
Kari Bonner, the daughter of the Smith County Tax Assessor Gary Barber, had her life changed in November 2022 when a trip to the emergency room revealed a diagnosis that would change the course of her life. Doctors told her she had a rare autoimmune disease that is attacking her kidneys.
"There were multiple immune diseases between my thyroid," Bonner said. "I had vasculitis as well as a rare disease that was attacking my kidneys and basically killing off my kidneys. I was in stage renal failure."
Bonner immediately started chemotherapy treatments and started adding her name to different hospital lists hoping to find a donor.
According to the Southwest Transplant Alliance, that could take a long time.
"Organ donation is incredibly important," said Emma Lunceford, the marketing and communication associate for Southwest Transplant Alliance. "There are more than 103,000 people in the United States who are waiting on a lifesaving transplant, and there's over 10,000 that are waiting in Texas. By those numbers alone, you can see that the need is incredibly great."
Thankfully for Bonner, the answer to her prayers and need was just a branch away on the family tree.
"In September (2023), my cousin just said she felt that the Lord was speaking to her that she should just be tested to even see if she was a match," Bonner said. "Once that ball got rolling everything was just falling into place."
That cousin is Christa Skipper who lives in Georgia. She and Bonner have known each other since childhood.
"I saw her post an update of what's going on with her and she said at the end of the post, 'I'm still trusting God for a kidney,'" Skipper said. "For some reason (during) that time I guess my heart was just ready."
They both had their blood tested and officials determined they were a match, which meant Bonner could successfully receive the organ from Skipper.
Lunceford said that being a live organ donor is a beautiful and wonderful thing to do.
"Getting an organ transplant, I mean that's a gift and that is for a lot of people that's a second chance," Lunceford said. "I believe it's a rare they're receiving a kidney transplant. That recipient is no longer going to have to be on dialysis anymore. They will be able to get their life back and be able to live life to the fullest once again."
Bonner said she's beyond grateful for her cousin helping her get through this intense journey, especially since receiving from a living donor means less complications after the surgery.
"The amazing thing about when somebody is willing to be a living donor and get and give someone one of their kidneys is that, they say that 99% of the time it starts working immediately," Bonner said.
Skipper said she was glad to help her cousin so she can make sure Bonner's husband and sons can still have their mom.
"What if I get to the end of my life and I have two functioning healthy kidneys and I think 50 years ago I could have helped my cousin and given her a longer life because of this?" Skipper said. "I don't want to live like that. I want to live where I can give and I can serve. I can sacrifice to help other people."
The cousins said they couldn’t have gone through this journey without the constant support from family and friends. Throughout the timespan of Bonner's journey her family started wearing green bracelets that said, "There will be miracles." They were made when she found out about her diagnosis in November 2022.
"Sure enough my miracle's coming in my cousin," Bonner said. "My mom, my dad, my brother, my husband, and my kids (this is) just reminding them to pray for a miracle and the Lord has given us that miracle."
Bonner and Skipper spent Wednesday night gathering with family as they prepare to enter the surgery room at UT Southwestern Medical Center Thursday morning. Skipper said becoming a donor is a big step and there are multiple screenings they both had to go through.
If you wish to become a donor and help change a life, click the link here to get started with Southwest Transplant Alliance.