Awaiting a life-saving gift: 9-year-old boy desperately needs kidney transplant

A local boy is hoping the season of giving can save his life. Mason Combs needs a kidney and has been on the transplant list for more than a month.

Unlike most 9-year-olds, Combs' life looks different because he spends much of it in the hospital.

"He's having dialysis at least three times a week, sometimes it's 4 or 5 times a week. That's how it will be until he gets a transplant," Robin Gunther, Mason's mom, said.

When Mason was a toddler, his body swelled overnight.

Tests revealed his kidneys weren't working properly.

"He ended up having his first kidney out in December of last year. That kidney began to fail, and he just had his last kidney out August 18th," Robin said.

Last week, Mason's family got the call they'd been waiting for a kidney was ready for him.

"During a test overnight, they found out the creatinine level in the donor's kidney was rising, and he is already too high, so we weren't able to use that kidney," Robin said.

And it was back to the beginning.

"We've been through all the – what the doctor calls – the emotional transplant rollercoaster. So it's up and down," Robin said.

Mason's family is well-versed in waiting.

They've been staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill for more than three months and will be here indefinitely.

"There is support. There is help. We've gotten help from people and we've been able to help others too," Mike Gunther, Mason's dad, said.

Holding out for the gift that could change Mason's life.

The average wait for a living donor's kidney is much shorter than the wait from a deceased donor, which could take years.

Those interested are asked to contact Amy Woodard, Living Donor Coordinator at (984) 974-7568 or email amy.woodard@unchealth.unc.edu