Gospel singer undergoes life-saving kidney transplant after losing her mother and two sisters who were battling chronic kidney disease

Tammy Edwards has been heritage Music ran in her family as she was the lead singer of the gospel group Tammy Edwards and the Edwards Sisters.

“Music saved my life,” Edwards said.Good morning, America“It definitely saved me.”

Nearly a decade ago, in 2015, Edwards, who lives in North Carolina, became part of another family legacy that would change her life.

Edwards, who was in his late 40s at the time, Chronic kidney diseaseHer mother, Diana, and her sisters, Tonette and Tina, had also been diagnosed with the same condition.

Chronic kidney disease is a condition in which the kidneys become damaged over time and can no longer filter blood normally, increasing the risk of other health problems, such as heart disease and high blood pressure. according to National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

The disease affects more than 37 million adults in the United States, according to the institute.

But it's extremely rare for chronic kidney disease to affect four people in one family over two generations, said Dr. Cynthia Christiano, chief of nephrology and hypertension at ECU Health, where Edwards is being treated.

“I've never seen a family with as much chronic kidney disease as the Edwards family,” Cristiano said. “We know that this disease runs in families, but this is an unusual case.”

For Edwards, chronic kidney disease has dominated her life.

For several years, she went to a local clinic four days a week for four hours of dialysis, often accompanied by her mother, who was also undergoing dialysis.

Ms Edwards, a mother of two, said the fact that one of her kidneys was not functioning also weighed on her mind.

“Every time I looked at someone, I'd look at their kidneys. Isn't that crazy?,” Edwards recalled. “I was like, 'They have a kidney, and their kidney is working. Mine isn't working.'”

Edwards has experienced devastating personal loss during his battle with chronic kidney disease.

Edwards' sister, Tina, was the first in her family to be diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and died from the disease in 1990 on her son's birthday.

“It's been so sad,” Edwards said of the loss, adding, “It feels like yesterday. I miss her so much.”

Edwards said in 2020, she and her mother survived severe symptoms of COVID-19.

But just months later, Edwards' sister, Tonette, who had undergone a successful kidney transplant several years earlier, also fell ill. Edwards said she was hospitalized and passed away in February 2021.

Just a few months after her second daughter's death, Edwards' mother, Diana, also passed away.

“When Tonette died, my mother couldn't cope,” Edwards said. “It was very devastating for her. It was her second daughter that she had lost.”

Almost as soon as Edwards became the only member of her family to develop chronic kidney disease, she began making changes to save her life.

She underwent weight-loss surgery and became healthy enough to be placed on a kidney transplant waiting list, joining tens of thousands of other patients hoping for a potentially life-saving kidney transplant. According to the data From the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

In November 2022, Edwards got the long-awaited phone call: Doctors in North Carolina had found a compatible kidney and transported it across state lines to transplant into Edwards.

After the successful transplant, Edwards was able to return home with her daughter and son and live a normal life free of dialysis.

“Instead of giving up, we had to endure and be strong. Good news was going to come to us,” Edwards said, referring to one of her gospel group's most personal songs, “Good News.”

Nearly two years after undergoing transplant surgery, Edwards is once again able to perform with fellow members of Tammy Edwards and the Edwards Sisters.

She said her health continues to improve.

“I've been feeling great since the surgery,” Edwards said. “I just keep going to my doctors, follow everything they say and stick to my guns.”