The gift of life
Deep Gap friends share special bond following kidney donation

By Melanie Davis

Friendship is generally associated with the heart.

For two Deep Gap women it is a matter of a kidney.

Betty Jenkins (left) stands with Jan Wellborn Blackburn. The pair share a special bond of friendship, linked by organ donation. Photo by Melanie Davis

Jan Wellborn Blackburn and Betty Jenkins met 11 years ago at Gap Creek Baptist Church. Jenkins was new to the area and didn’t have family in the area. She said Blackburn family “adopted” her.

Blackburn had a new grandson and Jenkins began babysitting throughout the week. Their friendship grew from there, a friendship that included Blackburn’s son, Darin Church, and his family.

Approximately one year into their friendship, Jenkins was diagnosed with polycystic kidneys, a hereditary disease. Throughout the years, the disease was kept under control, until March of 2008 when Jenkins had to go on dialysis.

Church immediately stepped up to offer one of his own. However, he was denied when test results determined he was not an appropriate match.

Without a second thought, Blackburn offered to be tested next. “I have always wondered what people meant when they said God spoke to them,” she said. “Now I know.”

The first round of paperwork consisted of six to seven pages of family history, medical history and medications. Once that was approved, Blackburn traveled back and forth between Deep Gap and Winston-Salem’s Wake Forrest University Baptist Medical Center for a series of extensive testing to the confirm the match. The complete testing process took approximately three months.

In the meantime, Jenkins was undergoing dialysis, which left her physically ill three days a week.

“Initially, I had felt sorry for myself going to dialysis,” she said. “Then I met people who had other problems complicating their dialysis.”

Although the dialysis made her ill, she had only that sickness to deal with.

“While going [to dialysis], I got a whole new family,” Jenkins said.

There were some obstacles to Blackburn’s decision to donate a kidney. The decision can be hard on the donor’s family. She made an appointment with her surgeon to answer any questions posed by her husband and family members. It eased their concerns and allowed everyone to move forward.

By the time of the surgery, Jenkins and Blackburn were attending different churches, but just as connected in friendship as they had been 11 years prior.

Leading up to the surgery, Blackburn would call Jenkins following each dialysis treatment and together they would count down.

“’You only have five more,’ Jan would say, and remind me I was close to finishing,” Jenkins said.

When the time came to drive to Winston-Salem for the surgery, there was a large number to accompany the women to the operating table. Family members, close friends and church families all gathered around the women leading up to the operation.

Jan Ward, a close friend of Blackburn’s, spent the night with them at the hospital in a “pajama party” before the surgery.

As each were led down the hallway on gurneys toward an operating room, both had different things on their minds.

“I was excited, nervous too, but mainly excited,” Jenkins said. “I knew the dialysis was over.”

Blackburn said she didn’t have a second thought down that hallway.

She felt a sense of serenity as she was led to the operating room.

“Though some have talked of receiving some type of a blessing from the donation, I did it for the love of mine and Betty’s friendship. I didn’t want to watch her be sick three days a week,” she said.

There is one disputed fact between the two. Jenkins refers to Blackburn as a hero. Blackburn refuses that distinction.

It has been six weeks since the surgery. As it turns out, they are a match, not only in friendship, but in tissue, blood type and preserving spirit as well. Both are recovering well.

Jenkins would like to tell people to give the gift of life if they can. Blackburn answered that call and suggested others do the same. She cited the ever-growing list of those in need of kidneys, which nearly every person is born with two.

“We live a world today where there are so many uncaring people,” Jenkins said.
“Jan’s given me the hope that there are people who care.”