Mom decides to donate kidney to save 2-year-old son’s life — wants him to know his life was worth it

A mother's love for her children is powerful. That's why Pamela Bish, a Georgia mom of three, decided, without thinking twice, to give her son the gift of life. 

Pamela Bish was informed that her son, Carter Bish, 2, needed a new kidney. Instead of looking elsewhere for a match, Bish herself offered to donate the organ to her son. 

A bunch of tests were carried out to see if the two would be compatible, and soon, Bish was given the approval to proceed with the surgery, according to Good Morning America. "It's not just about being a match. There are other things that they have to consider. They had to make sure I had two kidneys. They had to make sure that I didn't have any cysts on my kidneys. They had to make sure I don't have high blood pressure. They have to make sure I'm not pre-diabetic," explained the mom. 

"So there were all kinds of things that I had to go through in order to make sure that I, as a donor, could continue to be healthy and live a healthy life with only one kidney," shared Bish. She still remembers the day she received the call affirming that her kidney could help her son live.

"When I got that final call of, 'I have good news. You have been approved,' it was instant relief, and just instant peace and calm. And then, the excitement just kicked in," she continued. Carter has been struggling with several health issues even before he was born, she shared. 

"I went in for my 20-week ultrasound and the radiologist came in and they said that Carter, there was a lot of things wrong with him and he was not compatible with life, that he wouldn't make it, he wouldn't be able to live because I didn't have much amniotic fluid," recounted Pamela of the horrifying moment. "[They said] his kidneys just looked awful. They looked just filled with cysts and a lot of fluid."

Heartbroken by the information, Bish and her husband moved to Dacula, Georgia, from Pittsburgh, just to get a second opinion at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. There, they were then informed that Cartner had a urinary blockage. She was informed that Carter could make it if he developed his lungs enough.

"He would likely need dialysis and he would likely need a transplant down the road. But we just had to wait and see, and that was probably the most difficult part, carrying him knowing that we weren't sure if we were going to have a baby to bring home or not," added Bish. 

Carter eventually made it. Immediately after his birth, he was placed on a ventilator and kidney dialysis. He underwent at least 11 surgeries and was removed from dialysis before his condition deteriorated again. This time he was in need of a new kidney. Now, Bish hopes her kidney will give her son a long shot at life.

"I want him to know that during the times in his life that people were telling him that his life wasn't worth saving or keeping, that his family and his friends and the people around him never believed that for one minute. They all believed that his life was worth it and that he would be OK," said the mother. 

"If you would see him today, you would not know a thing is wrong with him. He is the most adorable, cutest, sweetest little guy. He never stops talking. He has won the hearts of everyone around him," she noted. 

The mother and son are scheduled to undergo surgery on July 8, 2022.