GREENSBORO, N.C. — Carla Flores-Ballesteros and John Brown Jr. are now celebrating one year since Carla, the principal at Allen Jay Elementary School in High Point, donated a kidney to John.
"I feel as though I got 20 years of my life back," said John.
Carla and John's wife Patrice worked together in 2013 at Western Guilford Middle School. Several years later, Carla was no longer at Western Guilford and was up for Principal of the Year for her work at Allen Jay Elementary School. Patrice called to congratulate her.
"After talking a little I asked her how John was doing, like friends do, we ask about each other's family, and she shared that things had fallen through with the donor they had and I said, 'I'll do it!'" Ballesteros told News 2 in December 2020.
Carla and John underwent surgery on December 15, 2021 and it was a success. Last week, the two celebrated the anniversary of the donation.
"Just being able to reflect on where we were a year ago into the present and just being thankful," John said. "That’s a word you hear me saying over and over again, just me being thankful, grateful, and hopeful."
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The surgery gave them a new connection to one another.
"She was friends prior to surgery and then, after the surgery, she’s become much much more than just a friend, she’s family," said John.
Now, both Carla and John are working together to raise awareness for organ donation. Right now, more than 100,000 people are on the waitlist in the United States for organ donations, most of them in need of kidneys.
In April 2021, Carla and John worked with Trivium Racing to sell t-shirts for their at the annual Pig Pounder 5K. The proceeds went to Donate Life North Carolina.
"It was a great opportunity to share our story, to spread the awareness of how important organ donation is and to give people an opportunity to see someone that’s from your community, and your neighborhood just like you, it can happen," said John.
Carla's husband even designed a logo for their t-shirts, with the motto "Saving Lives One Donor at a Time." The letters C and J form on the logo to create a butterfly, a symbol for organ donation.
The advocacy is also a new purpose for Carla.
"I’m just all for it," Carla said. "Everywhere I go people ask me how are you feeling. They ask me all kinds of sometimes weird questions but it’s a great opportunity to share my story and share with people who have no idea what organ donation (is)."
Both Carla and John also want to bring attention to organ donation among people of color. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 27.7% of Black people needing an organ transplant in 2020 received that transplant; compare that to 47.6% of white people who needed a transplant and received one.
"Minority populations are just over-represented in the data but underrepresented in receiving a donation," John said.
The total number of white people who need an organ transplant is about 1.4 times more than that of Black people. However, the number of candidates waiting for a kidney transplant is about the same.
"This gift of a donation of a kidney, it’s just something that will bond you with her (...) for the rest of my life and her life as well," said John.
You can find out more about organ donation here.