Latest News

Family of Five has Six Kidneys

The Hays family, of Anchorage, Alaska, has a license plate that reads "5with6," meaning the family of five has only six kidneys between them.

Jill Hays donated her kidney to her oldest daughter, Crystal. Her husband, Richard Hays, donated his kidney to their youngest daughter, Amanda. Their middle daughter, Jenna, is the only one in the family with two.

Crystal, 15, and Amanda, 6, have a kidney disease called genetic nephrotic syndrome.

Both girls had transplants as toddlers and both will feel the effects throughout their lives.

When Amanda was little, she watched her big sister go through treatment, which helped her during dialysis and through the years leading up to a transplant.

"Amanda didn't like the needle," Crystal said. "So I told her when I was little they would say, '1, 2, 3 poke,' and they would draw blood. So I would tell her to count to three and they would draw blood and it helps."

Between the transplants and the check-ups, the Hays family never really had time for a family vacation, so Amanda told the Make-A-Wish Foundation she wanted to travel to Hawaii with her family.

"I think a lot of times when you have medical issues in your family the normal things that most families would do get put on the back burner." her mother Jill said. "And it's just nice families can actually do what a normal family can do."

Amanda says when she grows up she'll be a doctor and the mother of 15 healthy babies. She says she likes hospitals and hospital food and can’t imagine her life any other way.

If she could have any wish in the whole wide world, she would wish to swim with the dolphins again.

"I wanted to see a dolphin, because I've never seen a dolphin in my whole life," Amanda said.

Story courtesy of KTUU.com