A toddler suffering from kidney failure will get to live a normal life thanks to a teen's sacrifice, ABC 15 News reports.
Briana Delcampo, an 18-year-old from Tucson, Ariz., will be donating one of her kidneys to 18-month-old Isaiah Hernandez at the end of the month.
Isaiah was born with end-stage kidney failure. The toddler has been in and out of the hospital for all of his young life.
In March, KGUN9-TV reported that Isaiah's parents had begun a desperate search for a live kidney donor, with their son only months away from requiring dialysis.
"He needs a kidney transplant because being on dialysis is very hard on the body, especially for a baby," his mother, Terri Hernandez, said at the time.
According to the toddler's transplant surgeon, University of Arizona Medical Center's Dr. Tun Jie, dialysis at a young age could alter normal growth and have devastating long-term affects.
When Delcampo, a long-time friend of the Hernandez family, heard that Isaiah needed a new kidney, she immediately came forward.
"The first thing that came to mind was: I would love to be tested," she said.
The teenager turned out to be a perfect match.
According to KGUN9-TV, family and friends expressed concern about her going forward with the transplant surgery. However, Delcampo refused to be swayed.
"I told them that I wanted to do it. Nobody was going to change my mind," Delcampo said.
Isaiah's mother told ABC 15 News that she was relieved when doctors told her the news.
"I'm very excited, happy. I love her. She's really part of the family now, forever," she said.
Though Delcampo admits that she is nervous for the upcoming surgery, which is scheduled for May 29, she is excited to be able to share a part of herself with little Isaiah.
"I've lived 18 years and I've got to do things. I've got to travel and do things that people wish they could do and I just want him to grow up and be able to do the things I did. You know, live a normal life," she said.
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