Misty White was told her son Bobby “Nathan” Hinton wouldn’t live more than a few days after he was born with health issues that included poor kidney function. It’s now 23 years later, and White is preparing to donate one of her kidneys to Hinton.
White said Hinton was born a month early and was diagnosed with hydronephrosis (when the kidneys become stretched and swollen as the result of a build-up of urine inside them) and posterior urethral valves (extra flaps of tissue that are in the tube that carries urine out of the body).
“His bladder was double the size it was supposed to be, so his kidneys didn’t work,” she said.
According to White, when Hinton was born his right kidney was functioning at 24% and his left was at 26%.
“Anytime a baby’s born and their kidneys function less than 28%, they (usually) don’t make it,” White said.
A pediatrician told White and Nathan’s dad, Mark Hinton, that their son “wasn’t going to make it past a week.”
But that didn’t prove true. Hinton’s kidney functions improved slightly and remained stable. Hinton, who graduated from Owensboro High School in 2019, went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center about every 6 months to a year for checkups.
About a year ago, his kidney function started to decline. According to White, Hinton’s kidneys are now functioning at a combined 16%, so they started the process of getting him on the organ transplant list. White got tested and found out she was a “perfect match” in mid-November.
“It was so overwhelming,” White said when she received the call. “I didn’t know whether to cry or scream. I was so excited.
On January 23, they’ll both undergo surgery so that White’s right kidney can be transplanted to Hinton.
“Everybody’s always asking me if I’m nervous,” White said. “Absolutely not. I brought him into this world. I gave birth to him. And the way I look at it, I’m giving him life all over again 23 years later.”
Hinton said he’s excited about the surgery and looks forward to feeling better.
White said she won’t be able to work for 6-8 weeks and doesn’t know a timeline for Hinton’s recovery because it will depend on how his body handles the transplant. She has a GoFundMe campaign to help with medical costs and lost wages for anyone interested in donating.
