Early Christmas gift for Between woman who was in urgent need of a kidney

Contributed photo

BETWEEN, GA (Nov. 16, 2023) – it was a little more than a year ago that the name of Shelby Davis, of Between, was the new name highlighting an urgent need for a kidney donor on the sign that stands alongside Highway 78 in Between.

When her photo and name went up, Tonya Westmoreland noted how desperate the situation was for the Davis family. Her family once had that very same need. Several years ago, Westmoreland had donated a kidney to her husband. Prior to that, his name had been on the sign searching for a kidney donor. Fortunately for their family, Westmoreland herself had been a match and was able to save the life of her husband.

As a way to always acknowledge the blessing they were fortunate to receive, the Westmoreland family now use the sign to draw attention to a local resident in urgent need of a kidney. The sign only comes down once a kidney donor has been received, or sadly in some instances when one is not found in time.

“We are on a mission. We need to find Shelby a kidney as soon as possible. Let’s find her a donor by Christmas. That’s the goal – to give a miracle of life,” Westmoreland said in September 2022 when they put her name up on the board.

But Christmas 2022 came and went without a kidney for Shelby. Fortunately that is not the case this year. Shelby got her kidney in time for Christmas 2023.

“We have another successful transplant. She is doing great and came home today,” Westmoreland said last Sunday when she updated the sign to celebrate the successful transplant surgery.

Once again, the Westmorelands would now like to open up the signboard to another person on the transplant list who is in need of a kidney donor. If you or someone in the community you know of has this need and would like to put the information in a highly visible location, they would like to hear from you.

You can email Tonya Westmoreland at sassyladie73@comcast.net.