Don Whitelaw and his daughter, Kaleigh, share an unbreakable bond, strengthened by an extraordinary act of love. This is their story, a testament to the profound connection between a father and daughter, and the ultimate gift one can give: the gift of life.
It began unexpectedly in 2012. Kaleigh, then an 18-year-old fresh out of high school, was starting her workday when a phone call from her mother changed everything. Her father, Don Whitelaw, wasn’t feeling well and was being rushed to the hospital. The diagnosis was devastating: his kidneys were failing, a silent crisis no one had anticipated.
“He went into renal failure out of nowhere,” Kaleigh recalls. Dialysis became his lifeline, but the doctors were clear – a kidney transplant was his only path forward. Kaleigh, without hesitation, wanted to donate immediately. However, her parents urged caution. “‘You’re only 18. You need to wait,'” they advised, a sentiment echoed by the medical professionals who deemed Don’s condition stable enough for continued dialysis.
“‘You’re only 18. You need to wait.”
For four long years, Don endured dialysis. It was a demanding routine, disrupting his life three times a week. “He was still working but he had to stop what he was doing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for dialysis,” Kaleigh explains. The treatments left him drained and shivering. Eventually, he transitioned to home dialysis overnight, offering some flexibility but imposing a rigid evening schedule.
“He was a grown man with a bedtime,” Kaleigh reflects. “He went from being extremely independent to having a curfew.” Yet, Don faced it all with remarkable resilience, never allowing the limitations to dampen his spirit.
But Kaleigh witnessed her father’s health declining, and after four years, her patience reached its limit. She felt a growing conviction that it was her time to act, to offer a gift no one else could.
Old Enough to Give the Gift of Life
“I decided that I’m old enough now to make my own decisions,” Kaleigh stated with unwavering resolve. She knew in her heart that this was the most significant gift she could ever give her dad, a gift born from love and determination.
Driven by this profound sense of purpose, she underwent testing to determine if she was a compatible donor. Her aunt and several friends also stepped forward, demonstrating the widespread support for Don. Even Kaleigh’s mother was tested. But it was Kaleigh who proved to be the perfect match, a daughter destined to give her father a second chance at life.
Four years after the initial alarming call, Kaleigh received another call, this time from the transplant center. She was a match. The news arrived as she was heading to work at a new job, a symbolic start to a new chapter for both her and her father.
“I decided that I’m old enough now to make my own decisions.”
“I called my mom first and then I called my dad,” she recounts. “It was a really fast phone call because I was on my way to work at my new job, but I couldn’t wait until I got off work to tell him.” Don, not one for grand displays of emotion, was deeply moved, his voice thick with emotion. For Kaleigh, the emotional weight of the moment hit her as she drove to work, tears blurring her vision, makeup smudging. It was her third day at her new job, yet this news overshadowed everything.
December 13, 2016, became a day etched in their family history. Kaleigh and Don went into surgery, ready to embark on this life-altering journey together.
“Mom was really grateful that I could do it because she wasn’t a match,” Kaleigh says. Her mother, the family’s steadfast pillar, carried the weight of worry for both of them, but her gratitude for Kaleigh’s selfless act was immense.
A Gift That Rekindled Love
Amidst the anticipation and preparation for the transplant, an unexpected blessing emerged, a beautiful side effect of Kaleigh’s selfless gift. Her relationship with Eric Hennig, a man she had dated on and off for a decade, took a meaningful turn. Though they weren’t together when she discovered she was a match, the gravity of the situation prompted deep reflection. Kaleigh realized the importance of expressing her true feelings, especially to those she cherished most.
“I didn’t want there to be things I hadn’t said.”
She reached out to Eric, and their reconnection blossomed into a renewed romance in the weeks leading up to the transplant. “When I found out I was the match, that’s what prompted me to call him,” she shares. The thought of facing the surgery, and the unknown, made her prioritize what truly mattered: love and connection. “I thought that if I died on the table, I didn’t want there to be things I hadn’t said.” Her gift to her father inadvertently became a gift to herself, opening her heart to love once more.
Kaleigh in recovery.
The Gift Continues to Give
Thankfully, the surgery was a complete success. Kaleigh’s generous gift had given her father a new lease on life.
The recovery period lasted six weeks for Kaleigh. Living at home, she and Don recuperated together, supported by the unwavering care of her mother. “She never complained even though she was taking care of two people,” Kaleigh fondly remembers.
“It was cool because while I was struggling in the first two weeks, I got to see my dad. He looked so good and felt so good,” she says, witnessing firsthand the immediate positive impact of her donation. Within two weeks, Kaleigh’s own recovery took a turn for the better, and by the end of six weeks, she was fully recovered.
A few months later, Kaleigh’s journey took another meaningful turn. She began working at Urology of Virginia, an institution specializing in care for transplant patients. As an administrator, she now plays a vital role in the transplant process, assisting both donors and recipients. Her personal experience has given her a unique empathy and understanding for the patients she serves.
“I got to see my dad. He looked so good and felt so good.”
Over a year later, Kaleigh and Don still share a lighthearted anecdote: between them, they have four kidneys, a symbol of her incredible gift. “I didn’t realize they’d leave his old one in,” she laughs. Life for Kaleigh returned to normal, physically unchanged, yet profoundly enriched by the experience. “I thought I’d feel different physically but I don’t notice the difference,” she remarks, highlighting the seamless return to her everyday life after giving such an extraordinary gift.
Kaleigh and Eric on their wedding day.
Celebrating Milestones, Cherishing the Gift
The most significant addition to the family narrative is Eric, now Kaleigh’s husband. Their wedding on St. Patrick’s Day in 2018, followed by a honeymoon return on Mother’s Day, marked a joyous new chapter. Remarkably, Kaleigh wasn’t the only kidney donor in her wedding party. One of her bridesmaids had also donated a kidney, not to a family member, but to a stranger – a young father in desperate need.
“I met her online first,” Kaleigh explains. Bonding over a shared experience in a makeup forum where Kaleigh sought advice on scar concealment, she connected with her bridesmaid. “She commented said she’d donated a kidney too.” Their online connection deepened into a close friendship, a testament to the powerful bonds forged through shared acts of generosity.
At Kaleigh and Eric’s wedding, both daughters who had given the gift of life stood side-by-side, celebrating love, life, and the enduring power of human connection. And of course, Don, with his three kidneys, proudly celebrated with his daughter, a living testament to her selfless gift.
Kaleigh and her father dancing on her wedding day.
Living donation transforms lives. Learn more about becoming a living donor and how you can give the ultimate gift.
