Rare two-family kidney exchange saves two lives

Miracles happen, and needles can be found in haystacks. Just ask Shelia Blackman-Dupas and Drew Moreau.
In a rare and mysterious chain of events, both had their lives saved with an exchange of kidney donors between the families.
“I was not a match for my mother, but I turned out to be a perfect match for Drew,” Natalie Blackman said. “Drew’s sister Ashley was not a match for him, but was a perfect match for my Mom.”
On Dec. 14 -- Shelia’s birthday and just a few days before Christmas, the families “exchanged gifts” at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans.
Two weeks later, both transplant recipients and their donors were recovering at their homes and doing well.
“To me, I got my Mom back -- the energetic woman that we used to know,” Natalie said. “I am also grateful that I was able to give Drew a second chance at life. He is only 24 and has a long life ahead of him.
“This was the best Christmas gift we could’ve asked for,” she added.
Natalie and her mother live in Mansura. Natalie is an attorney and Shelia is a long-time member of the Avoyelles Parish School Board.
Ashley Wiggins is a stay-at-home mother in Lafayette, where her only brother Drew also lives.
“The doctors told me that finding a matching donor would be like finding a needle in a haystack,” Shelia said. “Ashley was that needle.

‘MEANS THE WORLD’
“This means the world to me,” Shelia continued. “I get my life back. I can feel the difference.
“My condition had gotten pretty bad,” she continued. “I was losing weight. Anything I tried to eat made me choke, which I found out was a symptom of kidney problems.”
Shelia said she and Natalie were in the waiting room for pre-operation procedures at the same time Drew and Ashley were there. The families had never met and neither knew who the donor would be.
“I saw this young man and I prayed that he would be the one to receive Natalie’s kidney and that it would give him back his life,” Shelia said. “He looked so ill. I said to myself, ‘Shelia, you’re 52 years old and you’ve lived a good life, but this young man’s life is just beginning.
“When he got that kidney, the next day he was almost running past my door,” she added with a laugh.
Ashley also noted how her brother reacted to the feeling of a healthy kidney.
“I’m able to move around now, but Drew’s been running around since the day after the surgery,” she noted.
Shelia must remain in isolation for three to six months due to issues with her immune system. She plans to return to her duties on the School Board as soon as possible.
Drew has no such restrictions, “but he is being careful. He is able to go to a few friends’ homes, but he is not going out to public places yet.”
Ashley said the whole wonderfully strange event “seems like a miracle. It means a lot to both families. It was able to save two lives. I saved Miss Shelia and Natalie saved my brother.”
Natalie said she hopes the story of the two families helps to raise public awareness of the importance of being “a living donor,” and not just agreeing to be an organ donor upon death.
“The sacrifice of giving someone else a kidney is so small compared to saving a life,” she said.
Shelia said she was told the likelihood of finding a suitable donor was slim, but she kept her name on the donor list.
“I wasn’t ready to give up,” she said. “I still have a lot of things in this life I want to do.”
Ashley also said she never gave up hope that something would happen to save her brother.
Their mother, Wendy Moreau, donated a kidney three years ago, but there were complications and it had to be removed a month later. Ashley said she did not let the memory of that past failure dim her hope for a future success.
“All I can say is that the donor program is amazing,” Ashley said. “People need to be aware that it can save lives.”
‘Save a life’
Those able to donate a kidney should “take advantage of the opportunity to save a life. If your mother, brother or sister needed a transplant, you would want someone to donate for them. We should be willing to do the same thing for others.”
Shelia said she did not despair, but she had taken a long, hard look at her situation.
“I honestly don’t know how much longer I would’ve lasted,” she said. “Without donors, people like me won’t live. Now I am looking forward to getting well and getting back on my feet.”
Shelia said she is also an advocate for people to choose to be living donors.
“My new slogan is ‘Share Your Spare,’” she said. “You only need one kidney, and donating the other can save a life.”
Before these life-threatening diseases brought a family from Mansura and one from Lafayette together in New Orleans, they were strangers.
“We’re like family now,” Shelia said. “We stay in contact and we plan to always stay in contact.”