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'99 alumna gives the incredible gift of life
Aug 15, 2005 9:12 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
When Rome’s Ivey Harrison and Megan Blankenship cemented their friendship by becoming “blood sisters” years ago, they could not have imagined the new meaning this bond would one day take on.
The two were born across the street from each other and were neighbors and playmates throughout elementary school. Their families were close, and their mothers watched each other’s children.
“We really did grow up together,” Blankenship said. “If one of us did something playing together, we would all get a spanking.”
While keeping in touch, the girls gradually grew apart as their families moved and they attended different schools, Blankenship going to Rome High and Harrison to Darlington. Their friendship became long-distance when Harrison left for college in South Carolina.
However, when Blankenship was diagnosed with end stage renal disease — kidney failure — 3½ years ago, she began a journey that would bring their friendship to a new level.
At age 26, Blankenship, undergoing dialysis to treat her condition, was on a kidney-donor waiting list when Harrison, now 24, offered last winter to donate a kidney to the friend she describes as a big sister growing up.
It was a decision she had been considering for months, Harrison said. By Christmastime she had started “seeing little signs everywhere,” and she decided it was something she had to look into.
“It’s something you can’t explain how you feel or why you did it,” she said. “You just felt it was right, and you knew you were supposed to do it.”
Harrison went through testing to determine their compatibility. Following her evaluations, she underwent surgery and gave Blankenship a new kidney on July 1 at Emory Hospital.
Harrison said she never had any fear about the surgery; because of her faith it was something she was supposed to do for her friend.
Dana White, Harrison’s mother, said her daughter’s strength helped her through the procedure without anxiety. “I drew my strength from her because she was so positive about it,” she said. “She just believed that it was meant to be and that everything was going to be fine.”
A little more a month after the transplant, a dialysis-free Blankenship and her family glowingly describe her condition as “great.” At home with her family, Blankenship has both health and a newly strengthened connection with her lifelong friend.
The gift this “incredible young woman” gave to her daughter is something the whole family is grateful for, said Megan Blankenship’s mother Linda.
“Ivey’s our hero,” she said. “She’s not only changed Megan’s life, but she’s changed the lives of our entire family.”
*Written by Sonya Elkins, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer, published 8/15/2005
The two were born across the street from each other and were neighbors and playmates throughout elementary school. Their families were close, and their mothers watched each other’s children.
“We really did grow up together,” Blankenship said. “If one of us did something playing together, we would all get a spanking.”
While keeping in touch, the girls gradually grew apart as their families moved and they attended different schools, Blankenship going to Rome High and Harrison to Darlington. Their friendship became long-distance when Harrison left for college in South Carolina.
However, when Blankenship was diagnosed with end stage renal disease — kidney failure — 3½ years ago, she began a journey that would bring their friendship to a new level.
At age 26, Blankenship, undergoing dialysis to treat her condition, was on a kidney-donor waiting list when Harrison, now 24, offered last winter to donate a kidney to the friend she describes as a big sister growing up.
It was a decision she had been considering for months, Harrison said. By Christmastime she had started “seeing little signs everywhere,” and she decided it was something she had to look into.
“It’s something you can’t explain how you feel or why you did it,” she said. “You just felt it was right, and you knew you were supposed to do it.”
Harrison went through testing to determine their compatibility. Following her evaluations, she underwent surgery and gave Blankenship a new kidney on July 1 at Emory Hospital.
Harrison said she never had any fear about the surgery; because of her faith it was something she was supposed to do for her friend.
Dana White, Harrison’s mother, said her daughter’s strength helped her through the procedure without anxiety. “I drew my strength from her because she was so positive about it,” she said. “She just believed that it was meant to be and that everything was going to be fine.”
A little more a month after the transplant, a dialysis-free Blankenship and her family glowingly describe her condition as “great.” At home with her family, Blankenship has both health and a newly strengthened connection with her lifelong friend.
The gift this “incredible young woman” gave to her daughter is something the whole family is grateful for, said Megan Blankenship’s mother Linda.
“Ivey’s our hero,” she said. “She’s not only changed Megan’s life, but she’s changed the lives of our entire family.”
*Written by Sonya Elkins, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer, published 8/15/2005
