| Dad and Daughter Share a Kidney Peyton Hemingway was born with severe chronic kidney disease. One of her kidneys had not formed at all and the other one was functioning at about 20 percent. During her first two weeks of life, she had four surgeries to remove the non-working kidney, drain fluid and insert a tube for peritoneal dialysis. While she remained in the hospital for three months, her mom and dad were trained to be her caregivers. “I quit my job to stay home with her,” said Eric Hemingway, a South Carolina homebuilder. “She needed around the clock care, including the peritoneal dialysis for over a year.”  Finally, though, Peyton began to respond to her drug regimen and Eric was able to return to work. She went without dialysis for about a year and a half. Then suddenly, her remaining kidney stopped working.
“We knew that day would come, but we thought it would be when she was eight or nine years old,” remembers Eric. “When it shut down, we were very scared and hoped that either my wife or I would be a match so Peyton would not have to go on the waiting list for a kidney.” After a couple of weeks of tests and “being poked and prodded,” Eric found out he was a match for his daughter. “They made sure I understood the ramifications of donating my kidney,” he said. “But, this is my kid. There is no question that I would give her my kidney. If she needed my leg, she could have it.” Together, he and Peyton went in for their respective surgeries. “When I woke up a couple of hours later, my kidney was already in her. We were both in recovery at the same time.’ According to Eric, the transplant went as smoothly as possible. As for removing his 32-year-old kidney, he said he was “sore as can be the next day,” but went home in three days. About six weeks later he was back at work full time. Within four months of the transplant, Peyton had gained three pounds and grown three inches. She’s continued to grow quickly, and today she’s completely active. The Hemingways have to be disciplined about giving her medications three times a day and watching for signs of sickness. But otherwise, she’s like any other kid. “The MUSC Transplant Center doctors were fantastic to work with,” explained Eric. “They helped us plan and deal with everything. And the Children’s Hospital nurses are the greatest people on earth.” | 
