Not long after Katisha and Taylor Vertrees tied the knot, their search for another perfect match began. This one was urgent.
"They say kidney disease, it can kill you," Katisha tells News 3 anchor Blaine Stewart. "I thought at any moment this could be the end of it."
Katisha was 28 years old when we first introduced you to her. By then, her kidneys had already stopped working — a complication of her lupus diagnosis. That’s where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. She needed eight hours of dialysis every night. That takes a toll. In 2022, the couple was expecting their first child. The pregnancy sent Katisha into end-stage kidney failure, making a manageable diagnosis dire. Sadly, she suffered a miscarriage at just 15 weeks.
Watch previous coverage: Husband takes to social media to find kidney match for wife battling renal disease
"I try to live every day like, really happy and pushing through, but it's really hard," she confesses.
The only way Katisha could ever lead a normal life is with a kidney transplant. She became one of nearly 100,000 on a years-long waiting list. So her husband, Taylor, turned to social media for help. He's part of a local band, The Fighting Jamesons, and shared his wife’s plea for a donor on their Facebook page. Support for Katisha swelled. Early this year, the couple received promising news: Doctors identified a possible match. Tests on the would-be donor started right away.
"We're getting the workups, we're getting the updates, because we were able to talk to the person, and then we get the call saying that she couldn't be a donor," Taylor explained.
Watch previous coverage: What is lupus like for those living with the disease?
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No, it didn't work out. Not that time, anyway. But just a couple of months ago, doctors found another donor who might fit the bill. Would this finally be the answer to years of prayers?
"I think it's crazy that we were a match, and it's someone that I completely don't know," Katisha says. "It is a miracle."
Divine intervention? Perhaps. This living donor is a perfect match — no connection to Katisha at all — and completely anonymous.
"It's unusual to have just this altruistic random donor that donates to someone, but it does happen, and sometimes those are the best stories," explains Dr. Duncan Yoder.
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Dr. Yoder is the surgical director of the kidney and pancreas transplant program at Sentara Healthcare. He would be the surgeon in the operating room on Katisha's big day.
"We'll meet her before the operation, kind of review everything, and then her donor will go to the operating room first," Yoder says.
Dec. 13, 2024: Transplant day. The wait is almost over.
Video from the actual procedure at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital that day shows how the hours-long procedure unfolded. First, the donated kidney is removed, then cleaned and prepped for the transplant. Dr. Yoder uses a robot for most of the five-hour operation. Because of that, recovery time is greatly reduced.
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"We'll hear patients tell us immediately, I feel like I have so much more energy," Yoder explains.
Both Katisha and her donor came through the operation with flying colors.
"It's so rewarding," Yoder beamed. "These are the days and the patients that really make you feel like you have the best job in the world."
When we talked a few days before her surgery, I asked Katisha what was going through her mind, knowing all of this uncertainty and agony could soon be in the past.
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"I think about the future," Katisha said as she laughed.
Yes, the future. A life not tethered to a machine — where the possibilities are endless. Just like their gratitude to the anonymous angel who answered the call, spread across TV and social media, and gave Katisha a second chance. How can you ever thank them enough?
"Thank you so much," Katisha says. "I owe you everything."
Katisha was discharged from the hospital four days after the transplant surgery. But her homecoming was short-lived. A day later, she started having chest pains. Taylor rushed her back to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where doctors confirmed she had a heart attack. She was admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit Wednesday night. As doctors monitor her heart, there is good news: Katisha’s new kidney is functioning well and does not appear to be impacted by the heart attack. Count on News 3 to follow through with updates.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a living organ donor, click here.
