Driven by Faith and Love for her Late Brother, Michigan Woman donates Kidney to Army Veteran at Houston VA

“Something told me, it’s time,” said Houlton, who lives in upper Michigan. “You need to donate your kidney. So I shot up in bed and I typed in the national registry for kidney donation and something told me no…donate to a Veteran.”

Four years earlier, she was prepared to donate a kidney to her brother, Army Veteran Damon Lambert, who was diagnosed with kidney disease after returning home from Iraq.

“I was a match for him and remained on stand-by,” she said. “He just couldn’t get healthy enough. He was having dialysis three days a week and finally, enough was enough for him.”

In late October 2018, her older brother died at the age of 46.

“He had really bad PTSD but he pushed through it and put himself through prosthetics school,” said Houlton who is 49 years-old. “He just had the biggest heart and he loved his country. His country meant everything to him.”

Three months earlier, Houlton also lost her mom.

“It was a big blow,” she said. “When they passed, I got angry.”

For four years, she had doubts about her Christian faith and struggled to pray.

“I used to be a person that prayed every night,” said Houlton, who is also a registered nurse. “I taught my kids about God. When my mom and brother died, I would try to pray, but I didn’t feel like anything was there.”

But Houlton followed through and registered to be a donor with Living Kidney Donation for Veterans (DOVE), a non-profit organization that strives to match living donors with Veterans. Then Houlton waited, not knowing who would be the recipient.

A Retired Army Officer in Arizona

From 1976 to 1999, Lt. Col. David Hardaway (Ret.) served as a Logistics Officer which included a six-month combat deployment to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Storm/Shield.

After the Army, he briefly returned home to Arkansas where he grew up on a farm. He then moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he still lives with his wife and 28-year-old daughter who has cerebral palsy.

During a check-up at the Phoenix VA about 20 years ago, Hardaway was diagnosed with renal insufficiency, which slowly progressed into stage four kidney disease.

On a waiting list to receive a kidney, Hardaway was encouraged to register with DOVE.

“A friend of mine told me about DOVE,” said Hardaway, who is 70 years-old. “She asked me to contact them to see if they might be able to help me.”

Eight months ago, he registered with DOVE and needed a willing donor that shared his rare blood type.

In late 2022, DOVE called Hardaway to let him know a woman in Michigan was not only identified as a match, but had agreed to donate.

Houston VA Transplant Center

In 2008, the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas began performing transplant surgeries for Veterans across the country including both deceased and living donors.

Jennifer Hamilton, Houston VA living donor coordinator, meets with potential donors and provides education about every step of the process.

“Kidney transplants are safe,” said Hamilton. “I talk with the living donors and let them know we’re going to do everything to protect them and here’s how we go about it.”

She also strives to ensure every detail is as seamless as possible for the donor and recipient. Hamilton worked closely with DOVE to coordinate the transplant and arranged for travel and accommodations for both Hardaway and Houlton.

“Maybe not on their end, but on my end, it was effortless,” said Houlton. “I got my itinerary and got on the plane. Nothing was complicated.”

Hardaway and Houlton both arrived at Houston VA on Feb. 20 and up until then, they had not met.

“I walk up to the counter to check-in and the clerk said ‘would you like to meet your donor?’,” said Hardaway. “We can’t meet each other unless we both agree. I said I would love to. So we met, we talked and we cried. It was just a beautiful feeling.”

The next day on Feb. 21, Houston VA performed the living donor kidney transplant – the first from a DOVE donor.

“All donors are altruistic, but this donor did not know the recipient at all,” said Dr. Venkat Ramanathan, chief of the Houston VA Transplant Center. “It’s powerful. I want to give special thanks to Ms. Jennifer Hamilton, Dr. Jenny Pan, and the entire transplant team for making this happen.”

Hamilton has worked as a living donor coordinator for over 20 years and is still in awe that it is possible.

“I'm still stunned that you can take a kidney out of one person, walk to the next room and put it in somebody totally different,” she said. “I think it's just a miracle that people want to donate and it doesn't have to be a biologically related person.”

Post-surgery, Houlton wanted Houston VA staff to know how special they are.

“I was sitting in the (transplant) waiting room and a janitor was dumping the trash,” she said. “A doctor walked by and he said ‘hey good afternoon, how are you doing.’ That doctor acknowledged him and showed him so much respect. It was right at that moment I knew I was right where I was supposed to be. Houston VA is amazing. You guys have done your job and went beyond it.”

A Wink for Team DOVE 26?

Before each donation, DOVE assigns a number to the donor and recipient. Hardaway and Houlton were designated as Team DOVE 26.

Less than two weeks after the successful transplant, Hardaway and Houlton visited a restaurant in Houston to celebrate, each accompanied by a sibling.

“We ordered our food and a guy handed us a stick with a number to set on our table,” said Houlton. “It was 26.”

It could have been purely a coincidence, but not to Houlton. It was a gift in her faith journey.

“David was telling me how thankful he was for me and I told him, ‘no David, it’s an honor for me to donate to you,” said Houlton. “You might have got the kidney, but I got something far more than that. I got my faith back.”

Hardaway, also a person of faith, said he is overwhelmed a stranger would donate an organ to save his life.

“I am overwhelmed and bursting with joy,” said Hardaway. “I’ve always known and believed that God works miracles, but it showed me in real time that he still does.”