(SOUTH SIOUX CITY, NE) Henry Perez and Miguel Cortez have been friends for years. So on December 31, 2008, when Henry Perez and his wife Tina celebrated the birth of their son, Henry Junior, their good friend Miguel and his girlfriend, Tania, shared their joy.
"Me and Tania went to visit him the day he was born, New Year's Eve, and he looked healthy, looked like a normal little baby," says Miguel.
But joy would soon turn to concern.
"I knew something was wrong when his one week check up because he slept all the time, and I told the doctor something's not right," says Tina Perez.
In fact, something was very wrong — Henry Junior's kidneys had only grown to about half the normal size of a newborn baby's.
"And, 19 days old, he started having dialysis every single day," says Tina.
Junior would need a kidney transplant. To make matters worse, neither Tina or big Henry were a match. Time passed. Junior wouldn't eat and had to be fed through a tube. A couple of friends tried to be donors, but it didn't work out.
"So Miguel say yeah, I try, he say I don't know what kind of blood I am. And he did it and when he told me, he's like, 'I'm the match,' - no way. My tears came out," says Henry Perez.
"When I found out, I was excited, I was happy. I was ready to do it," says Miguel.
So on October 12, 2010 in Omaha, Nebraska they had the surgery. Miguel's left kidney was put into Henry Jr's right side.
"If I was in the shoes that they were in, I would hope to God somebody would step up and help one of my childs," says Miguel.
Now, just a few months later, the change is breathtaking. After the transplant, Junior no longer needs dialysis.
"He's very happy. He's always happy. He loves playing with his sisters," says Tina.
Before the transplant, he didn't like to move much. Now, he doesn't like to stop.
"My boy been doing so good. Got a lot of energy. It's so different now," says Henry.
It will be a process to make up for lost time. Junior is still fed primarily through a tube until he transitions to eating on his own, and a therapist is working with him so that he can learn to walk. Miguel has a big scar on his belly where they took out the kidney. Henry Junior has a big scar where they put the kidney in.
"He just wanted us to be happy. He wanted Henry to be able to live a normal life and a happy life as a two year old should have," says Tina.
Willing to give his kidney, not as excited to be the center of attention.
"Miguel is our angel. He saved our son's life," says Tina.
And every time Henry Jr. throws a ball, takes a breath, and grows another year older, those matching scars will be a reminder of the power of friendship.
