DAUGHTER GIVES MOM THE GIFT OF LIFE FOR MOTHER’S DAY

Kidney recipient, Yolanda Mixon, 53; kidney donor, Lekisha Mixon, 27; UM/Jackson transplant surgeons, George Burke, M.D., and Junichiro Sageshima, M.D.

While serving in the U.S. Army, then Sergeant First Class Yolanda Mixon began suffering from severe aches and pains. What she thought was arthritis was diagnosed as lupus, a chronic, autoimmune disease that damages different parts of the body. As the disease progressed, Yolanda was diagnosed with kidney failure and pulmonary fibrosis, the scarring of the lung tissue which causes difficulty breathing. Doctors told Yolanda, a single mother raising two children, she would eventually need a kidney transplant.

When Lekisha Mixon learned that her mother would need a transplant, she immediately volunteered to be tested – and was the perfect match. “I never thought twice about being a donor,” said Lekisha, a forensic psychologist who lives in Miami Beach. “My mom has given me so much and it was my chance to give back to her.”

The organ transplantation was delayed, when in 2006, Yolanda’s conditioned worsened and doctors placed her on dialysis, a process that filters waste from the blood, three times a week. Over the next few years, Yolanda was in and out of the hospital many times – often critically ill in intensive care.

Lekisha, who received an undergraduate degree from Howard University and a master’s degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, decided to pursue her doctoral degree at Nova Southeastern University so she could be closer to her mom when it was time for the kidney transplant operation. 
 
University of Miami /Jackson transplant surgeons, George Burke, M.D., and Junichiro Sageshima, M.D., operated on Yolanda and Lekisha on May 9 at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The surgery was a success and Yolanda now has complete kidney function. 
 
Yolanda, who served in the Army for nearly 19 years, including a stint in the Gulf War, now works as a civilian IT specialist at the U.S. Southern Command in Doral. She says she will never be able to repay her daughter for saving her life. “This is the best Mother’s Day gift ever,” said Yolanda, who lives in Miramar. “I am so grateful to my daughter.” 

May

11, 2012, 9:30 a.m.- 10:30 a.m.

Jackson Memorial Hospital
Ira C. Clark Diagnostic Treatment Center, Room 252
The corner of Northwest 12th Avenue and 19th Street
Miami, FL 33136

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