http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-suddenly.html
Mother facing death receives kidney from her son the day after he dies from sudden illness
Zona McGee had suffered kidney disease for more than 20 years and was searching for a donor
Her son Ryan fell ill earlier this year and died last week without warning
Ryan's kidney was a match for his mother and a transplant was carried out the day after his death
A Nashville mother who had to watch her son die from an agonizing brain condition has spoken of the bittersweet moment she was told his kidney would be a match for her failing one.
Zona McGee battled kidney disease for two decades and had been on the transplant list for more than three years.
She underwent a life-saving transplant last week just a day after her own son's untimely death.
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20-year-old Ryan McGee was diagnosed with a brain condition called Chiari earlier this year, which affected his cerebral spinal fluid.
He died on August 11. The next day, his mother received his kidney.
Doctors were unable see if Ryan was a match for his mom whilst he was alive in case he inherited her disease.
However, as an organ donor, he had told doctors that if anything happened to him he wanted her to have his kidney.
It turned out that he was in fact a perfect match.
'At first, I said I couldn't do it, but I know he would have been so mad at me,' Zona McGee told Nashville's News 2.
'When I went into that surgery, I knew he was with me. I was not afraid. I just felt like, 'Okay, Ryan, you're here with me. We're doing this together,'' said Mrs McGee.
Mrs McGee had written about her experiences on waiting for a kidney donor to come forward in a personal blog.
She tells of the anguish of having to deal with her own condition whilst watching her sick son Ryan deal with his sudden illness.
In her final entry at the start of July she wrote, 'I really need to be strong and healthy so I can be here for my son. I urgently need a kidney donor and now more than ever! '
She said that she is able to find comfort in the death of her son by knowing he helped save so many lives and would eventually like to meet those people, especially the person who received his heart.
A video containing some pictures of Ryan and his family has been posted to YouTube.
Many of his friends and family are finding comfort in his death thanks to the new lease of life his donated kidney will bring to his mother.
His sister Crystal Bowron shared her thoughts, 'He was an organ donor and our mother was able to receive a lifesaving kidney transplant thanks to him. He also gave life to many others through the donation of all of his other organs and tissue. Just knowing he touched so many lives of people I will never even know.... it's amazing. Ryan was an unbelievably sweet.'
Ryan's friend Geno posted a comment stating he found solace in his friends' death.
'These past few days have been unreal for so many people. Hearing the news about Zona's kidney transplant has allowed me to sleep these past few nights. I can't think of a better and more meaningful end to such a wonderful life,' he wrote.