Joshua was born with one kidney that didn’t function at all and one that was small and not working enough to survive without dialysis. From the time he was just 4 days old, Joshua underwent a variety of surgeries and was on dialysis 12 hours a day.
Thanks to a kidney transplant from his mother, Carolyn Nelson, when he was 7 years old, Joshua now lives a full life. He wrote about his gratitude for his mom in an essay he entered into the fifth annual Astellas Ride of a Lifetime national essay contest. As the winner for the Midwest region, Joshua won a chance to ride on the Donate Life float titled “New Life Rises” in the annual New Year’s Day parade.
In his essay, Joshua wrote: “Mom gave me life — twice. How many people can say that? I can! I’m 13 years old and six years ago, my mom gave me one of her kidneys so that I could feel what living really is.
“As I got older, those 12 hours of dialysis were like a prison sentence to me. Other kids were spending the night with their friends (my friends!), going to water parks and playing lots of sports,” he wrote. “Dialysis was part of my life and I needed it to live, but it was more like just surviving. How do you really live when you’re connected to a machine so many hours a day?”
Joshua said after the transplant surgery he began to discover a whole new world. “I couldn’t believe it when they showed me where they put Mom’s kidney and that it was working. It was the first time I remember not being on dialysis. I was 7 and starting a whole new life.
“I get to go to nighttime baseball games, swimming parties and to friends’ homes to spend the night. I play sports. I see sunsets in person instead of on TV or through my window,” he wrote. “And I got to go to Disney World without any tubes or dialysis and without being so tired and sick.”
Now that he is healthy, Joshua speaks to groups, both large and small, about his experiences. He is a Passion Panel member for Mid-American Transplant Services in St. Louis, where he helps educate peers about the importance of organ donation and transplantation.
Joshua was also the 2007 ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network and helps CMN raise money for two children’s hospitals in St. Louis. He has spoken to thousands of people about his transplant and the important work of the Children’s Miracle Network.
At Holy Family School, Joshua is Student Council president and is on the honor roll. He is a member of the school’s volleyball team. As a parishioner of Holy Family Parish, Joshua is an altar server and volunteers at church functions. He is active in the Pro-Life movement and has served the Pro-Life Mass and luncheon for the last three years.
Carolyn Nelson said spending the New Year’s holiday in California was a great reward for Joshua. The theme of the 121st Rose Parade was 2010: A Cut Above the Rest. The “New Life Rises” float also featured 76 “florograph” portraits of donors who gave the gift of life by donating their organs. This year’s float won the “Theme” trophy for excellence.
“We had a wonderful time,” said Carolyn of the trip, which lasted from Dec. 28 through Jan. 2. “I took about 400 pictures. I’m so proud of Joshua!”