Oakland boy pays it forward after receiving a liver transplant

Oakland Tribune | Michael Ramirez

An Oakland youth given a second chance at life has made it his mission to help the lives of others.

Michael Carraway was 11 years old when doctors told his family that, for reasons still unknown, his liver was failing. He was gravely ill but recovered to become a source of hope for people down on their luck.

With the help of his mother, Michael started Mikey's Meals to feed the homeless. The small mom-and-son operation has grown and now, with the help of a team of volunteers, feeds as many as 100 people each month. This year will be the fourth year that Michael and his mother, Shaheda Wright, spent Christmas morning feeding the homeless.

"I like the people we give to and feed," Michael said last week. "I like them to have a smile on their face. ... People have the power to save lives."

In October 2008, Wright brought her son to the hospital because he had become sluggish and lethargic.

"Michael was born healthy and had never been sick, besides the common cold," she said. After a five-day stay at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, Michael was transported by doctors to UCSF Medical Center. It was there that Wright found out the seriousness of her son's illness.
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