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A. J. marks 3 years with new
kidney at Georgia Southern
August 24, 2022
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By Steve Reece
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Last Monday, Aug. 15
was a special anniversary
for Amari “A J.” Jefferson, a
former Mary Persons stu
dent who received a kidney
transplant three years ago on
Aug. 15,2019.
A.J. was a sophomore in
late October 2017 when he
thought he suffered a high
ankle sprain during football
practice. When the swell
ing didn’t go down even
after treatment, his mother,
Kawanna, took him to Ma
cons Piedmont Orthopedics,
where a physician said A. J’s
leg didn’t look right and that
he needed to see his pri
mary doctor. He then went
for blood work at Primary
Pediatrics, and they later re
ceived a call at about 10 p.m.
that same night saying his
lab work indicated a serious
problem and that Navicent
had physicians awaiting
their arrival. Within an hour
of arriving, a nephrologist
had diagnosed A.J. as hav
ing nephrotic syndrome.
Since there were no child
specialists in Macon to treat
the unique case, Navicent
arranged for A.J. and his
mother to head directly by
ambulance to Egleston in
Atlanta, where he spent the
next eight days.
By December 2017, the ill
ness had caused A.Jis kidneys
to fail and by February, doc
tors told him he would need
to go on dialysis. He chose to
go through the process eight
hours each day at his home.
Despite not being able to
help MP on the football field
that year, A. J. continued to
dress out on Friday nights
and joined his teammates on
the sidelines. MP head foot
ball coach Brian Nelson said
at the time it helped A.J. to
stay positive by being around
the team. A. J. and family
members like his grand
mother Rosemary Walker
said they were touched by
the support that the com
munity showed A. J. during
his sickness. “It just had me
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surprised and shook,” A.J.
said of the initial diagnosis.
‘And now on a daily basis, I
know I have a community
behind me to help. It’s well
appreciated, and I can’t
thank them enough.”
Donna Wilson,
now the advertis
ing manager at
the Reporter, had
never met A. J.
But she said that
Monroe county
is family, so
she gave one of
her kidneys on
Aug. 16,2019,
so that the then
16-year-old
could get a new
one.
“I’ve always
been one for giving
to kids,” said Wil
son. “I would’ve done
it for any child. If any
child says they need
something, I’m go
ing to be one of the
first to try to help.”
Wilson stepped
forward when she
saw a Facebook post
from A.Jis aunt Tia
Walker saying
that A.J. was in
kidney failure
and needed a
new one. She
was one of at
►
least 16 people
who got tested at
Emory Hospital to see if they
were a match. Emory called
Wilson a few weeks later
and asked her if she was still
interested because she was
the closest match. An Emory
official spent an hour telling
Wilson all the risks involved
in donating her kidney, still,
Wilson was undeterred; she
was ready to give.
While she was the closest
match, she wasn’t a perfect
match. Doctors said if she
gave her kidney to A.J., he
would probably need anoth
er one in 2-3 years. But there
was another option. They
could put Wilson and A.J.
in a pair-a-donor database
that matches similar donors.
It would allow Wilson to
Donna Wilson, right, gave her
kidney so that AJ Jefferson, left, could
get a new one.
give her kidney to a better
match, and then in turn the
database could find a better
match who could give A. J.
a new kidney. Wilson then
called A.J.s family and urged
them to put A. J. with her on
the pair-a-donor database.
Within two weeks, they
had a match. It was just in
time. A.Jis kidneys were
so diseased that doctors
removed them on June 28,
2019, and he had to have
nine hours of daily dialysis
at home until receiving the
kidney on August 15. Wilson
had hers removed on August
16.
Wilson said her husband
Jeff wasn’t thrilled about
it but as a mother of four,
she hopes someone would
do the same for one of her
children if they needed it.
Friends and family have
marveled at Wilson’s willing
ness to give, but she jokes
that giving her kidney is
not her most generous act.
Her husband Jeff Wilson,
a Monroe County deputy,
was shot and his fellow
deputy Michael Norris
was killed respond
ing to a suicidal man
in 2014. “The most
generous thing I’ve
done,” said Wilson, “is
to let my husband, son,
and daughter still work
in law enforcement.”
Now a student at
Georgia Southern
where he is studying
health science, A.J. said
he would like to say to
everyone, ‘Always stay
positive even when things
aren’t going your way. Life
is unfair but there’s always
someone who might be
in a worse position. So be
grateful for everything you
have and take it one day at
a time.”
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