‘That's a risk I'm willing to take,' without hesitation, Keller High School student donates kidney to mother

The decision to donate an organ is a big one, but a Keller ISD high school senior said it was an easy choice. Brooke Lyle,18, had no reservations about giving up a kidney to the person who brought her into this world.

“She's my mom. It would just be like a few weeks of hurting for me for a lifetime of healthiness for my mom. That's a risk I'm willing to take," said Lyle.

Jessica Jordan, Lyle's mother, was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called Granulomatosis 12 years ago. It's a rare disease that causes inflammation and can damage organs.

The mother of three and step-mom of two said it caused her to need a kidney replacement.

Jordan, 48, started dialysis more than a year ago and was placed on a waiting list for a new kidney.

"I had a hard time with it. Like sometimes it will take me up to like 14 hours and I couldn't get out of bed," said Jordan about her experience with dialysis. "I couldn't check on the kids anymore. I was stuck in bed and I had to be home at a certain time."

She said her twin brother, Alfred, planned to donate his kidney, but he died from COVID-19 in 2021.

“Once he passed away and I realized that there wasn't anybody else, I figured I could do it," said Lyle.

The 18-year-old didn't hesitate, but her mother had reservations about it.

“Right away with no questions asked, she was just like, 'I'll do it!' And I was really nervous about that. That scared me and I was like, 'No, no, no, you're too young," expressed Jordan.

She described the conversation she had with her doctor who asked if she had found a match.

"He was like, 'Well, are you going to let her?' and I was like, 'I don't know. I'm really scared, you know?' And he was like, 'Would you do it for your mom?' And I was like, 'Absolutely.' And he was like, 'Don't take that away from her, something beautiful she wants to do for you.' And I was like, 'She's my baby, you know, just it's a big surgery," described Jordan.

The family decided to go through with the procedure in June. It was a success.

"Just selfless. It's just something she did from her heart, and I'm just so grateful and blessed that my baby did this for me because I feel so much better," said Jordan about her daughter.  "If I didn't get it, I mean, my life span would be very short. Yeah. So my baby saved my life. Yeah, she definitely did."

Lyle reflected on what the last decade had been like and became emotional thinking about it.

"It's been really hard because for a long time, there wasn't anything I could do and she's been sick like my whole life," cried Lyle as she teared up. "So it's just been really hard because she's my mom and of course I want her to be healthy and she wasn't always able to do all the things with us and I could see her trying to do stuff with us and I know it was always hard. She always tried to hide it from us."

Lyle said because she now has one kidney, she does have to be careful regarding her health but continued to echo it's worth it to have her mother healthy and alive.

Now the mother and daughter pair, who have always been close, have an even deeper bond.

While the focus has been on kidneys for a while, they're excited to shift to Lyle's excitement for her senior year in high school.

“I think this year is going to be really really good because I have my mom who's going to be way healthier. It's my senior year things are going to be so different," said Lyle.

"I want to just tell everyone about it because I just think what she did was just so amazing and she's just going accomplish a lot this senior year. I mean, this just this year in general is a big year for her with the transplant. You know, she got her car and she's a senior and you know, she's just so smart and beautiful and talented and I just I'm just really excited for her," said Jordan about her daughter.

She bought Lyle a patch for her daughter's letterman jacket that says 'kidney donor' with the date of the surgery, June 14, 2023.