Aunt donates kidney, saves teen's life
BY JAMI KINTON • NEWS JOURNAL
Bev's only child, Kaylin Cassity, was athletic, intelligent, beautiful and only 18. How could she possibly be diagnosed with kidney failure?
"One day in April, I just woke up with a terrible headache," said Kaylin, now 19. "It was so bad, we drove to the emergency room."
A Samaritan Regional Health System doctor performed blood work, which revealed that Kaylin's kidneys were only working at 4 percent capacity.
Mother and daughter listened in shock.
"I think I quit breathing for a second," Bev said. "I went numb."
"I didn't even know what to think," Kaylin said. "We still don't know why."
The teen was immediately transported to MedCentral/Mansfield Hospital, where a biopsy provided similar results.
Four days later, Kaylin started dialysis. Her treatments were four hours a day, three days a week, for seven months at the Mansfield hospital.
For some, the mere thought of such a commitment could drive one to the breaking point. However, Kaylin's positive spirit never faltered.
"My nurses were amazing," the enthusiastic teen said. "We'd paint each other's nails and compareclothes. I was the youngest person in there for sure. Everyone else in there was older and just seemed so depressed coming in and I just thought, I'm never going to be like that. I have a family who loves me. There's no reason to be down."
The sessions weren't the only change in her life.
"My doctor put me on a really strict diet," Kaylin said. "I craved ice chips and had to eat a lot of protein. I couldn't have any starchy foods and no salt."
The new regimen caused her to lose 30 pounds.
"I will admit that that part sucked," Kaylin said with a smile. "I'm 19. You want stuff like McDonald's and couldn't have it. When I first started all this, it was overwhelming to have this all thrown at you in a week. I always looked to God and never really stressed out. I never really had any bad times or breakdowns."
The doctors told her she would need a kidney transplant to bring her "back to normal."
Three potential donors came forward: Kaylin's half-sister, her best friend and her aunt, Karen King.
Although tests revealed that Kaylin's half-sister was the best match, King, 54, knew better.
"I just felt in my heart that I would be the one," said the Willard woman, who is Bev's sister. "I remember my sister calling me when this all started and saying, 'You can't live without a kidney,' and I said, 'She doesn't have to. I have two.'"
A generous King said she had always made strong efforts to stay healthy.
"I used to work out a lot, and every time I'd want to get off the treadmill, I'd say to myself, 'No, keep going. You have to stay healthy,'" she said. "For some reason, I always felt like someone was going to need something from me, although I always thought it would be my brother.
"When I found out about Kaylin, I felt from the beginning that things would be OK. I knew that somehow I would help to bring her healing."
On Nov. 1, after numerous tests, both women were taken into surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.
"When I went in that day, I just remember thinking how glad I was that the months of testing were about to be over," King said.
King's surgery took nearly four hours before Kaylin was taken back.
"I believe I said, 'Thanks for the kidney,' before she went in," Kaylin said. "I can't even put into words what it meant to me that she did this. She put her life on the line for mine. Surgery is a frightening thing. She's an amazing person. We've always been close, but this gave us a bond that many people can't say that they have."
At the time, Kaylin had been a freshman at Kent State University. After surgery, she recovered unusually quickly and is now nearly her old self again physically -- but her mindset and life goals have changed significantly.
"I'm not going back to Kent. I want to help others who are going through similar things. I want to speak out about the importance of organ donations," she said. "I'm going to be talking to my social worker on doing public speaking. I have a great faith in God, and this is something I want to share."
It was faith that encouraged King as well.
"Everyone called me a hero, but I didn't feel like that at all," she said. "Kaylin was the real hero here. She was so strong and brave and faithful to God. I drew strength from her and we encouraged each other. I got up this morning by the grace of God, and no matter what happens in the future, I will still get up by the grace of God. He is the true healer."
Kaylin said the only real difficult part of the last seven months was not having her dad at home.
Jerry Cassity has been deployed overseas for the last 14 months.
"Every time we'd talk to him, we'd tell him everything was fine because we didn't want him to worry," Kaylin said. "But mom and I made it work. I've always been a 'mama's girl' anyways. She's been there every step of the way. I could have never done this without her."
"That's what moms are for, honey," Bev said.
Although Kaylin was strong, Bev said there were times she struggled.
"So many nights, I'd shed tears she didn't even know about," Bev said. "I was just so afraid of losing her. There was one night in the hospital that Kaylin said, 'Mom, if Jesus wants to take me to heaven, I'm ready to go.' I told her, 'You can't because I'm not ready to let you go.' She's been amazing. She's always been mature for her age, but her attitude blew me away."
Kaylin said the one thing she hopes others take away from her story is an understanding of the importance of organ donations.
"It's the greatest gift," she said. "You could be giving it to someone who is 19 and still has her whole life ahead of her. It meant the world to me."
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