Son returns gift of life to his mother with transplant

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Jed Boal reportingA school teacher from Idaho underwent a kidney transplant two days ago and is excited about getting her life back. The transplant itself is not that unusual, it's how and when the donation happened.

Shelley Johnson is filled with life. For the first time in years, she looks forward to the future with joy rather than fear. "I'm so happy. I'm functioning normally, and he's my hero."

Last summer Johnson was on the verge of death, sapped of her energy. Both kidneys failed, and she endured ten hours of dialysis every night. A transplant was her best option but she was at the bottom of the list. Two of her children matched. Her son Erik came back to Intermountain Medical Center with her for more tests, then the doctor said the transplant was a go.

"On April first, which happens to be his birthday. Twenty-three years ago, I gave him life. And now he's given me a gift of life," Shelley said.

Erik says, "She's done a lot for me. I love my mom very much, so I want to help her out any way I can."

Dr. LaGrand Belnap says laparascopic surgery reduces the pain and recovery time for patients. The incisions are one-fourth the size of those made in conventional surgeries. For Eric, the transplant was a simple decision.

"He said, 'Mom, it's not worth it to have you on that machine for the rest of your life. I'll do anything for you," Shelley said.

When the Johnsons head home to Idaho in a few days, they can now look forward to the kind of summer that they enjoyed in the past. Tops on the list for the mother and her son? A little bit of fishing.

E-mail: jboal@ksl.com