Gift of organ donation gives woman more than 50 years of life

Mary and Jerry Lail are preparing for a trip to the beach. They plan to poke around in thrift stores, go out to eat and maybe raise a few eyebrows by holding hands while walking on the beach.

Mary says she is always aware of the gift of life she has been given and is grateful to be here.

This summer, she celebrated the 51st anniversary of her kidney transplant.

In 1971 she was a young wife and mother of two and was facing total kidney failure.

At the time, her daughter Nancy was just over a year old and her son Eddie was 4.

“I have been very blessed to be observing 51 years of days I was not promised,” Lail said. “My life hasn’t been easy but it has made me who I am.”

Mary Lail, who was born and raised in Cleveland County, said she had nephritis, a disease of the kidneys, when she was around 3 years old. For years she maintained and did well but following her marriage and the birth of her two children, things took a turn for the worse. Her kidney function began deteriorating with each pregnancy, and following the birth of her daughter, it got far worse. By the time Nancy was a year old, she experienced total kidney failure.

Her family went to Duke and were tested and her older brother Max was found to be a near perfect match. Mary Lail is the youngest of the family, she has five brothers - one who died before she was born - and three sisters.

“It was as if we were twins,” she said of Max. “That’s one of the reasons my kidney did so well.”

She said accepting his kidney from her brother, who had just recently gotten married, caused conflicting emotions.

“I was very relieved in one way and hesitant in another,” she said. “I guess you always worry something will happen to them but I had two babies, I wanted to be here for them.”

She is thankful for his gift.

“Max unselfishly gave me a part of himself so I could live and raise my children,” Mary said. “I am now a grandmother and great grandmother. I am richly blessed.”

She said she wanted to use the opportunity to talk about the life changing impact of organ donation and give others hope.

“There are many still waiting for an organ, many have died waiting, others have spent years on dialysis,” she said. “The Cleveland Rutherford Kidney Association helps many of these people.”

She said the nonprofit was started by Ray and Margaret Ledford because their daughter Renee had to have multiple transplants. She eventually passed away but her family has carried on with providing vital services to those in need of a kidney transplant, including help with transportation, assistance with medicine, groceries and other needs.

She said the Kidney Association has a need for funding and volunteers.

“I encourage you to be an organ donor,” Lail said. “It gave me a life. Without the transplant I probably wouldn’t have lived too much longer.”

At the time, she said organ transplants were not common and she didn’t know what to expect but she had a great surgeon.

“My doctor at Duke took such good care of me,” Lail said. “He was always encouraging me and letting me know even though I was just a young girl who didn’t have a lot of money, that didn’t matter and he would take care of me.”

After surgery, Lail said she was in the hospital less than two weeks.

“I had two babies I wanted to go home to,” she said.

She said her husband, Jerry, stepped up and took on the role of mother and father while she recuperated. He worked and took care of her.

“He’s one in a million,” she said.

The first few months were difficult with frequent doctor visits and a lot of medication that caused side effects. In the years since her transplant, she has had cancer several times as a result of the medication she takes.

“It was a struggle but I never gave up,” she said. “It has made me who I am.”

Now 74, she still enjoys life to the fullest as much as she can.

She has many hobbies that keep her busy. She said she makes quilts for her grandchildren and great grandchildren and is working on one now for her newest grand baby.

She loves to travel and she said they take each grandchild on a trip of their choosing.

They usually travel by bus and take them one at a time.

“We’ve been everywhere, from New England to California and the Bahamas. We saw the Grand Canyon,” Mary Lail said. “We wanted to leave them with memories.”

“I feel like if God gave me this life, I needed to make the most of it,” she said.

She urged people to consider being a donor.

“People are still waiting and dying,” she said.

She said she is still surprised she has had the life she has.

“I didn’t know if I would live six weeks, six months, whatever,” she said. “When I think about it, I’m still surprised. I’ve been so blessed, it humbles me sometimes that I have done so well.”

She said it hasn’t always been easy but the bad has made her stronger and the good has made her grateful.

“I’m a tough old bird,” she said with a laugh.

“I’ll back that up,” Jerry Lail said.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Woman celebrates 50 years of life from gift of brother's kidney