Family encourages others to give the gift of life, Toledo, Ohio
by Pamela Osborne | NBC 24, Toledo on the Move.com
Not every mom spends her Sunday morning trying to out score her son in a game of WII. And not every teenager appreciates a parent who does. Thirteen-year-old John Takas understands, these are moments he's lucky to have.
When John was three his mother received a kidney transplant. Without the organ donation he may have never gotten the chance to know who she was or the lessons she had to share. “Its pretty important to spend time with her I think because she's been sick a couple times and its been pretty bad.”
His mother, Kandy Takas just celebrated her ten year transplant anniversary in October. She says prior to receiving the transplant, she spent the equivalent of one year, six months and three days on dialysis.
Receiving the transplant has allowed her to watch her son grow. “[I] try to instill in him how precious and valuable life is and not to waste our time,”Kandy.
So far they haven’t wasted any. Every year the two go on a trip. This past summer they were ziplining across mountains in West Virginia and white water rafting.
“I don't know if my friends mom do stuff with them but I know my mom is pretty cool because she does stuff with me,” John.
His mom shows up to every boy scot meeting, every away trip and every sleepover.
The two have made it their mission to spread the word about organ donation. “You're given your life to do whatever you want to do and to go on living and its just wonderful.”
Currently there are 3,341 people in Ohio waiting for a transplant. It’s estimated that every 11 minutes another person is added to the National Transplant waiting list. A single donor can provide organs and tissues for more than 50 people in need.
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