A spark renewed: Pediatric patient thrives following lifesaving kidney transplant

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 21, 2025) – This past November, 11-year-old Sera Davis of Nicholasville received a gift that would change her life forever — a kidney from a selfless 21-year-old stranger.

“She’s doing wonderful,” said Sera’s mom Hali. “She has gained 25 pounds and grown almost two inches. She's always been so pretty and full of life, but now she just looks so different and so healthy. That's been amazing to watch.”

Sera is recovering well, but had a long journey to get here.

According to Stefan G. Kiessling, M.D., pediatric nephrologist and medical director of kidney transplantation at Kentucky Children’s Hospital (KCH) who has treated Sera since birth, the failure of Sera’s kidneys was the result of interrupted oxygen supply to her kidneys and brain and other organs during a complicated delivery. The prolonged deprivation of oxygenated blood to Sera’s kidneys resulted in irreparable tissue damage. Since the day she was born, Sera has been on and off dialysis, a stop gap measure to maintain kidney function while she grew.

Damaged kidneys cannot keep up with a child's growth – which is exactly what happened to Sera. As she grew, her kidney function decreased, eventually leading to kidney failure to the point of needing either dialysis again or, as the preferred therapy, a kidney transplantation. Hali could see that, despite interventions such as use of medications and special diet, Sera had low energy, needing frequent breaks while playing with her friends and naps to get through the day. Hali noticed Sera could not seem to drink enough water, gulping down glass after glass and still feeling thirsty. And despite eating more food than her father, Sera could not gain weight. Since kidney transplantation is a form of treatment and not a cure for kidney disease, the optimal timing is important.

“We were watching her give up,” her mom recalled. “Even her teacher, who had known her for years, saw it. That spark was just gone.”

Sera’s kidney function fell to just 21%; the damaged organs could no longer support her growing body. Hali had always known a kidney transplant was in Sera’s future. At the UK HealthCare Transplant Center, the search began for a suitable donor.

To have a successful transplant, Sera needed a good match. Living donation is always preferred in kidney transplantation, especially in children, as the transplanted organ does last longer, and if possible, children should receive kidneys from adult donors.  Family members all underwent the extensive matching and evaluation process, but none of them were suitable donors for Sera. The family turned to the broader community, and through a combination of social media outreach and word-of-mouth, Sera’s story reached a young man named Alex Rogers. Alex works for the same railroad company as Sera’s father and learned about the Davis’ search through mutual acquaintances. After watching his mother go through two kidney transplants herself, he knew exactly what Sera was going through. Moved by her journey, he stepped forward — being just a few years older than Sera, he turned out to be a perfect match.

As the surgery approached there was concern about how Sera would handle it but, those concerns were unfounded. Since the age of four, Sera has known about her condition and understood that she might someday need a transplant. While she and her parents watched videos and talked to other transplant patients to prepare, they knew they could rely upon Kiessling and his colleague Aftab S. Chishti, M.D., to guide them throughout the entire journey.

“She was ready,” said Hali. “She wasn’t scared.”

On Nov. 7, 2024, Sera and Alex walked hand in hand through UK HealthCare’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital. After the surgery, performed by Alexander P. Ancheta, M.D., Sera initially experienced some discomfort, but with each passing day, she felt more like herself.

“You could see it as soon as she woke up from transplant,” said Hali. “She was crying because she was in pain but her color and everything was just so beautiful. I hated seeing her cry, but in my mama heart, I was thinking ‘she looks so good’.”

Post-surgery, transplant recipients are encouraged to get up and walk around the inpatient floor as part of their recovery. Sera was running laps. Though doctors expected a ten-day hospital stay, she was discharged after just six.

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Once Sera was home, Alex’s mother, who had been through the transplant process twice before, became a source of support and guidance for the family throughout her recovery. The two families have remained in contact, celebrating Sera’s progress and the successful recovery of both donor and recipient.

On April 9, 2025, five months after their surgeries, Sera and Alex reunited at a UK softball game. Part of the monthlong Donate Life celebration that honors those touched by organ donation, Sera had the honor of throwing the first pitch. Alex knelt behind homeplate with a glove, ready to catch. Even after her transplant, he continues to support her and watch her thrive.

To ensure her health remains stable and minimize infection risk, Sera is homeschooling for the rest of the school year. All vestiges of fatigue and brain fog are gone; Sera is thriving, both academically and socially.

“Sera has dealt with this her whole life and there have been many restrictions and things she hasn’t been able to do,” said Hali. “Now there is a whole world of possibility.”

The Davises can make travel plans that don’t revolve around dialysis and hospital stays. Sera is the most excited about trips to Florida, visiting her grandparents and especially swimming in their pool once it opens for the summer.

Dr. Kiessling says that while Sera will have to take medications for the rest of her life and avoid high-risk activities such as contact sports, she now has opportunities that she has never had before – with a healthy kidney along for the ride.

“Sera and the new bean get along just fine,” he said.

Over the course of Sera’s first decade, kidney disease crept in slowly, gradually stealing her strength, her smile, and eventually, her spirit. The transplant didn’t just save her life—it gave it back to her.

 “It was like watching her come back to life – her light came back,” said Hali. “Having the spark back and the zest for life, it’s just so fun to watch her grow.”  

Thanks to the incredible generosity of a stranger, the expert care of her medical team, and the love of a dedicated family, Sera is ready for what is next — and she’s diving into it headfirst.

April 20-26 is National Pediatric Transplant week, part of Donate Life Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the power and importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation. More than 2,100 children are on the national transplant waiting list. Learn more about organ donation and to register to be an organ donor.