By ASHLEY GARDNER, Texarkana Gazette

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Cheryl Black has been given the gift of life through organ donation and she intends to make the most of her second chance.

Black spent four and a half years on dialysis due to polycistic kidney disease before she received a kidney transplant from an anonymous donor eight years ago.

It was a tough time in her life, one she didn't know if she'd survive. Dialysis, the process of purifying blood during kidney failure, was a life-saving necessity for Black, one that kept her tied up to machines for four hours a day, three days a week.

Black carried a beeper around for three years of silence until it went off at 3:30 a.m. one morning.

"I thought I was dreaming," Black said.

By 6:30 a.m., she was in Little Rock, going through tests to make sure the kidney was a good match for her and conditions in her body were right for a transplant.

When she found out she would actually receive the kidney, Black had mixed feelings.

"I was excited but at the same time, I was sad because I knew whoever the donor was had died. That's the only way I could have the operation," Black said.

Black's successful kidney transplant gave her a new lease on life.

"It's been more than what I expected. I expected to feel better but it's like having a whole new life," Black said of her experience.

Though there are pitfalls to being a transplant patient, like taking handfuls of pills daily on a regimented schedule, Black has always been thankful she had the opportunity to regain her health.

"I feel great. It definitely changed my life because you go from being tired and sick to just feeling great most of the time," Black said.

Since her transplant, Black has gone back to school and gotten a degree in psychology. She's currently working on her masters in education and working full time, both things she said she would never have accomplished if not for her transplant.

"Before I got sick, there was stuff I took for granted. When I was first sick, I asked God to let me stay alive long enough to see my girl grown. Now I have three granddaughters I would never have known if he hadn't given me a second chance. I definitely feel God has a purpose for me," Black said.

Black's daughter, Vawnika Gellington, who inherited polycistic kidney disease, is amazed at what her mother has accomplished in the face of adversity.

"She's just a phenomenal woman. Her will and determination awe me."

Life-saving transplants are on the rise across the nation.

"There is more awareness, but more importantly, there have actually been more donors in the last two years," said Pam Silvestri, public relations consultant for Southwest Transplant Alliance. "There was a bigger increase the last two years than in the history of organ donation.

"For the past 10 years, there have been about 5,000 donors a year for the whole country. For the last two years, we've had about 7,000 donors a year. It's the most significant increase ever but it doesn't mean we can't do better. We have to."

At this time, there are more than 91,000 people awaiting organ transplants.

"Seventeen people die every single day because the organs they need aren't available. The good news is that 70 people do get a transplant every day in the U.S.," Silvestri said.

April is National Organ Donor month but Silvestri would like for people to be aware of organ donation for the whole year.