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Fateful Donation Continues Cycle of Life
 Wilona Wheelock knew her life had purpose. After all, out of three children, she was the only one born after her father's kidney transplant. Wheelock believed her birth was made possible in part through the miracle of transplant. And because of this, she felt her life's purpose would have something to do with kidney donation.
It wasn't until Donise Sneed, Wheelock's close, lifelong friend, shared her need that Wheelock knew she could finally realize her heart's desire.
"Wilona is like a sister," Sneed said in an interview with the Star-Telegram. "We're all so close in age. Our lives have just intertwined during the years."
Their lives would intertwine once again in 2004. During all three of her pregnancies, Sneed suffered severe toxemia - a condition that doctors believe led to kidney failure. To stay alive, Sneed relied on dialysis, but that took its toll by draining her energy and keeping her from spending precious time with her beloved family.
As Wheelock witnessed her friend's struggle, she knew she was made for this moment and could give Sneed a future by offering her kidney.
"I told her in front of my family and some friends that I wanted to be tested," Wheelock told the Star-Telegram. "But she was a little shocked, I think. She waited two months before she gave me the right contacts to get the testing done."
"They told me that the risks included death, complications from the surgery, blood clots, infection. Then they asked me if I wanted to take that risk," Wheelock said. "I said 'yes.'"
On December 14, 2004, the cycle of life continued as Wheelock donated one of her kidneys to Sneed. Today, the two share a bond stronger than friendship, and their families are closer than ever.
For Wheelock, the donation of her kidney was a destiny fulfilled. For Sneed, it was the gift of life and the guarantee of an active, healthy future with her family and friends.
Family Inspires Transplant Candidate
 Most teenagers see themselves as invincible. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for Terrance Adams. In 1988, the 16-year-old was diagnosed with kidney disease and told he would eventually require dialysis.
Within a year, his kidneys had completely shut down and regular dialysis treatments became his lifeline. A kidney transplant in 1990 would give him a short reprieve from the demanding therapy, but his body rejected the new kidney after only three months.
Back on dialysis, Adams clung to the hope that a second transplant would be his ticket to a new life where time was not dictated by thrice-weekly treatments. In January 1992, he realized his hope of a second transplant. By November, the second transplant suffered the same fate as the first. Adams' body rejected another kidney.
"Those few months I had after my second transplant were incredible. Free from dialysis, I did so many new things and met so many new people," he said.
After his second transplant failed, Adams accepted that his life would depend on dialysis three days a week for four hours at a time. He chose not to pursue a third transplant.
Then Adams met Michelee Costa, and suddenly developed a new outlook on his future. Her love and support inspired him to put his name on the transplant waiting list a third time.
With renewed hope for his future, Adams and Costa were married on Sept. 17, 2000. Nearly 2 1/2 years later, Zyon Abraham Adams was born and became his daddy's pride and joy.
"I want to be around as long as possible," Adams said when asked how these two events changed his outlook on a possible third transplant.
Adams is one of more than 5,000 people in Texas on the transplant waiting list, and his life still depends on regular doses of dialysis. But he and his family continue to focus on life's celebrations.
A Tale of Two Sisters
 At 16, most of us are finding our way in the world by doing what comes naturally - going to school, making friends and participating in extracurricular activities. For Marilyn Patterson, life consisted of all this and one very unnatural circumstance.
At age 16, Patterson was diagnosed with Lupus. By age 34, her kidneys were in complete failure. So while the rest of us were attending soccer games and band concerts with our children, Patterson was on dialysis four hours a day, three days a week.
"I look back on my time on dialysis and I don't know how I did it ... three days a week for four hours at a time," she said. "It took precious time away from my family and was a huge stress on my body, but I did what I had to do."
After two years of treatment, it was time to look for a kidney donor for Patterson. Large families have their advantages. With six brothers and sisters, her chance of finding a donor that matched was good. In fact, two of her sisters were a match, but further testing proved that only one would be a suitable donor.
On May 6, 1986, Carolyn Nowotny donated one of her kidneys to her younger sister. It was the first transplant performed at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth.
Now, Patterson's Lupus is in remission and the kidney that became her lifeline still functions as well as it did the day surgeons Robert Sloane, M.D., and Sidney Worsham, M.D., transplanted it.
Now in their 50s, the sisters are once again doing what comes naturally. Nowotny recently completed training to be a volunteer firefighter in her small New Mexico community. And Patterson spends as much time as possible with family and friends while advocating organ donation.
When asked what she'd like to say to potential organ donors, Patterson recalls a quote she feels best puts the need in perspective: "Don't take your organs to heaven. Heaven knows we need them here."
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