MIAMI (WSVN) - Former Miami Dolphins cornerback Sam Madison did not hesitate for a moment to give his child the gift of life.
Madison, who played for Miami from 1997-2005, is hopeful his kidney donation to his daughter will provide her with a normal and healthier life. “I didn’t care what the consequences would be,” said Madison. “This is one of the surgeries I was looking forward to.”
The surgery took place over four months ago for Sam’s 11-year-old daughter, Kennedy. She needed a kidney transplant, and her father was the perfect match.
“The doctors express to you that not everything is 100 percent, things do happen,” said Sam. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I understand. But what do you want me to do?’ I’d rather do it for her and if she came through, I’d be fine with that.”
Kennedy said she wasn’t always aware of her kidney failure. “I never really knew I had kidney failure until way after they put the port in me,” said Kennedy. “I didn’t know what that was! I didn’t know what dialysis was.”
Her signs of kidney problems began a year ago. Kennedy was training for an upcoming gymnastics competition. First, there was swelling in her legs, then in her abdomen.
“There was nothing we could look back to or pinpoint and say, ‘Hey, this is what caused her injury,'” said Sam.
After months of dialysis, Kennedy was deemed healthy enough by her doctors to perform the successful transplant. “We would talk about it and say, ‘Gotta get ready! We’re a match,'” said Kennedy. “People would tease and say, ‘Now he’s really apart of you.'”
Doctors cannot guarantee Kennedy won’t need another kidney in the future, but this 11-year-old’s dreams of living life and enjoying it are alive and well. “I tell her she has to be a little cautious,” said Sam. “You have a Mercedes-Benz and you just got a Lamborgini part put in you! I tell her I know you wanna go full speed, but take it slow.”
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