Local family celebrates Christmas after mother gifts kidney to 10-year-old daughter

MONROEVILLE, Pa. — The gifts under the Christmas tree this year will never compare to the gift a mother just gave her 10-year-old daughter.

This mother-daughter pair is soaking up the holidays this year at their home in Monroeville.

“We’re definitely in the spirit and we feel happy, a lot of weight lifted off,” said Rebekah Carper.

Because her daughter, Baylee, finally got a desperately needed gift, one that doesn’t come wrapped up under the tree. She got a new kidney.

And the person she has to thank has been there since day one of this double-transplant journey 10 years ago.

When Baylee was just 5 months old, “she started to get really sick. We thought it was teething. It turned out she was in heart failure,” said Rebekah.

Baylee stayed at UPMC Children’s Hospital for a month before her mom says her infant was fortunate to get a donor heart.

“They let us go home a little bit before Christmas,” said Rebekah. “She started laughing and smiling again so to us that was definitely like a Christmas gift.”

Maintaining a donor heart is a delicate thing. A replacement is typically needed after 10 to 15 years.

“She’s on her 10th year. We’ve been very lucky that she hasn’t had any major complications with it,” said Rebekah of Baylee.

But two years ago, it was Baylee’s kidneys that started having issues. She had a virus that was attacking them silently for a year. When doctors discovered it, Rebekah says Baylee’s kidneys were functioning at 40%.

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Dialysis helped Baylee for a year at UPMC Children’s Hospital, but going there three times a week for several hours at a time was tough.

“It was tiring because I had to wake up really early for it,” said Baylee.

Rebekah says the best chance Baylee had to have functioning kidneys again was to remove both of hers and transplant a donated one.

“I knew 100% that I would definitely be the one donating,” said Rebekah.

Rebekah was a perfect match.

Christmas came early for the Carpers, when doctors at UMPC performed the kidney transplant in November.

“A kidney transplant after another organ is more challenging because of the drugs that you’re taking and the immunosuppression, but she did well,” said Dr. Armando Ganoza, the UPMC surgeon who transplanted the kidney.

“I definitely got excited! I’m like ‘that’s my kidney inside of her that’s making this possible.’ It was just an awesome moment to be able to see that,” said Rebekah.

“I was happy, excited,” said Baylee.

“It’s a gift. I wanted her to have her life back,” said Rebekah. “When she was sick with her heart, there was nothing that I could do to help her. This is something I could have done and I would do it all over again for her.”

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