Patient Stories
SHAMEQUIA CASON
Kidney Transplant Recipient
At 25, Shamequia Cason was on top of the world. She had just graduated and was the first in her family to get a college degree. But then her body caught up with her. Diagnosed with lupus years earlier, she had to face the fact that the disease had ravaged her kidneys. Now, instead of feeling young and healthy, she was hooked up to a dialysis machine every day.
Things went downhill fast. In short order, she had a bilateral hip replacement, a hemorrhoidectomy and a partial parathyroid surgery – all the while feeling imprisoned by dialysis. At this point, the attractive young woman was emotionally drained, resentful and ready to throw in the towel.
But remarkable things happen when you’re under the care of confident, skilled physicians. Shamequia still becomes emotional remembering the conversation she had with Dr. Shuler who told her that he refused to give up on her. He also told her Baylor had a kidney for her. Something clicked. Whether it was that she knew Baylor had a reputation for successful kidney transplants or she was moved by her doctor’s optimism, Shamequia saw the chance to trade years of sickness for a healthy life. She took it.
In February 2010, Shamequia received a new kidney. Three months after her surgery, she got her master’s degree in counseling. Now, she plans to be a health psychologist. It’s not surprising that she’s moving into a field where she’ll offer emotional support to people with health issues. That’s exactly what she got at Baylor. That, and her life.
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