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Son gives kidney to mom on Mother's Day

Posted at 9:57 PM, May 08, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-09 10:00:18-04

Forget brunch, chocolates, or flowers. On this Mother’s Day, a Peoria mom is celebrating the ultimate gift she received from her son: a kidney.

Kim Laurey was told her kidneys were failing when she was diagnosed with advanced-stage kidney disease. She was told the waitlist for a kidney was up to five years and the best solution was to look for a living donor.

Laurey resigned herself to thinking it would be a long wait, but behind the scenes her 19-year-old son was preparing a big surprise.

As soon as he learned about his mother’s diagnosis, Ryan Laurey overcame his fear and decided to get tested to see if he could be a donor. When the tests came back positive, he said his heart was pounding and he was nervous, but also very excited.

The family decided to surprise Kim with the news and recorded her reaction on camera. Laurey presented his mother with a certificate saying “This certificate is good for one Kidney- Given to you by ME… Seriously!”.

Kim Laurey said she broke down when she got the gift.

“I cried. I wasn't expecting it.  As a mom, you know he's going to go through this surgery, and I'm not going to be there when he wakes up, this is just, it is amazing," she said. "As a mom, what bigger gift could you imagine?” Laurey asked.

Ryan Laurey said he made the decision so his mom could live to see him get married, and so that his children could have a grandmother.

“I just want to see her happy,” he said.

The family is sharing their story with the hopes of raising awareness about kidney disease and the need for organ and tissue donors. 

According to Donate Life Arizona, 2,400 of the 123,000 men, women, and children waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in the United States live in Arizona.

You can get more information at https://www.donatelifeaz.org/

Laurey plans to have her surgery in June.