Charlton L. Johnson Foundation
Donation protected
A Mother’s Unconditional Love from Kidney Donor to Organ Transplant Advocate
No one knows better that a mother’s love is unconditional than Judith Charlton, administrative assistant with Broward County Enterprise Technology Services. When she gave birth to her first child, Charlton, over 32 years ago, she learned he was diagnosed with Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome.
“That was a big diagnosis for a 6-pound, 7-ounce baby boy,” Charlton recalls, “and the prognosis given was that his kidneys would progressively fail and he would not live past the age of 4.”
Charlton recalls that the first six months were the most difficult as she not only adapted to being a new mother but to overcome the challenges that come with having a baby diagnosed with a life-threatening condition. “The hospital became our second home, but we quickly realized that we were among the lucky ones as there were many more babies and children far worse off than we were.”
The goal was to get baby Charlton to 17 pounds, as that was the minimum weight a baby could be in order to get an adult kidney. Following many hospitalizations, surgeries and tears, Charlton had his first kidney transplant at age 3 1/2 in December 1989 at Albert Einstein Hospital in New York. The donor: his mother.
“While we were told that we were a perfect match, my kidney in his body needed a kick start and after a month in the hospital, Charlton was discharged. It was a late, but great Christmas!”
Since that first experience to save her son’s life, Judith Charlton has not only been a donor but has now become a passionate advocate for organ donation.
A little more than two years later, young Charlton’s kidney went into chronic rejection and, at age 9, he started dialysis at Jackson Memorial Hospital Pediatric Dialysis Unit.
“Nine months later, in December 1998, we received a call from New York that they had a kidney for him. We were on a plane in a matter of hours for his second transplant surgery the next morning,” Charlton said.
“It is important to know that a transplant is not a cure, but a treatment,” Charlton said. “Although we did not want to think about going through another ordeal like the first one with our young son, there is always this ominous thought lurking in the back of your mind that it can happen again.”
August 2018 marked 10 years that Charlton has been on the transplant list again-awaiting his third transplant. According to Charlton, the wait time in New York is five to seven years and in Florida, the wait time is less but because he has had two other transplants, it makes it more difficult to find a match.
At the age 32, the younger Charlton did his own dialysis five times a week at home for more than two hours each time. Dialysis saves his life as the process clears waste from the blood, restores proper balance of electrolytes, helps get rid of the extra fluid in the blood and helps maintain healthy blood pressure. According to the Food and Drug Administration, there are approximately 217,000 Americans who receive ongoing dialysis treatment.
“He has gone through more surgeries and hospitalizations than most people three times his age,” said Judith, “but he keeps a positive attitude and when asked how he is doing, his answer will always be, ‘I’m fine’.” Through it all, though, he completed an Associate Degree in Education from Queensborough Community College in Queens, N.Y., in June 2017 and is now looking forward to working as a dialysis technician.
As an advocate of organ donation, Judith was involved and volunteered much of her time planning and assisting events with the Transplant Foundation, Inc., which is affiliated with the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. Currently, she has partnered with the National Kidney Foundation of Florida and organized a Masquerade, Black-tie event 12-29-18 in Pembroke Pines, Florida, to help raise funds and bring awareness to the importance of organ donation.
She urges anyone wanting more information on organ donation to visit the National Kidney Foundation of Florida (NKFF) or the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) or email her.
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Charlton transitioned on August 31, 2019, with his family by his side after having his 21st and most difficult surgery.
At 33 years of age, Charlton was a donor recipient and a very passionate advocate for organ donation. While facing ongoing health issues, Charlton worked and studied tirelessly to obtain his phlebotomist and dialysis technician certification to help others facing the same life changing health issues.
To honor Charlton’s memory, please register to be an organ donor at www.donatelifeflorida.org or donate here to the Charlton L. Johnson Foundation.
The mission of the Charlton L. Johnson Foundation is to inspire and bring awareness of the importance of being a registered organ donor. Its vision is to have many lives saved through the increased registration of organ donors.
No one knows better that a mother’s love is unconditional than Judith Charlton, administrative assistant with Broward County Enterprise Technology Services. When she gave birth to her first child, Charlton, over 32 years ago, she learned he was diagnosed with Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome.
“That was a big diagnosis for a 6-pound, 7-ounce baby boy,” Charlton recalls, “and the prognosis given was that his kidneys would progressively fail and he would not live past the age of 4.”
Charlton recalls that the first six months were the most difficult as she not only adapted to being a new mother but to overcome the challenges that come with having a baby diagnosed with a life-threatening condition. “The hospital became our second home, but we quickly realized that we were among the lucky ones as there were many more babies and children far worse off than we were.”
The goal was to get baby Charlton to 17 pounds, as that was the minimum weight a baby could be in order to get an adult kidney. Following many hospitalizations, surgeries and tears, Charlton had his first kidney transplant at age 3 1/2 in December 1989 at Albert Einstein Hospital in New York. The donor: his mother.
“While we were told that we were a perfect match, my kidney in his body needed a kick start and after a month in the hospital, Charlton was discharged. It was a late, but great Christmas!”
Since that first experience to save her son’s life, Judith Charlton has not only been a donor but has now become a passionate advocate for organ donation.
A little more than two years later, young Charlton’s kidney went into chronic rejection and, at age 9, he started dialysis at Jackson Memorial Hospital Pediatric Dialysis Unit.
“Nine months later, in December 1998, we received a call from New York that they had a kidney for him. We were on a plane in a matter of hours for his second transplant surgery the next morning,” Charlton said.
“It is important to know that a transplant is not a cure, but a treatment,” Charlton said. “Although we did not want to think about going through another ordeal like the first one with our young son, there is always this ominous thought lurking in the back of your mind that it can happen again.”
August 2018 marked 10 years that Charlton has been on the transplant list again-awaiting his third transplant. According to Charlton, the wait time in New York is five to seven years and in Florida, the wait time is less but because he has had two other transplants, it makes it more difficult to find a match.
At the age 32, the younger Charlton did his own dialysis five times a week at home for more than two hours each time. Dialysis saves his life as the process clears waste from the blood, restores proper balance of electrolytes, helps get rid of the extra fluid in the blood and helps maintain healthy blood pressure. According to the Food and Drug Administration, there are approximately 217,000 Americans who receive ongoing dialysis treatment.
“He has gone through more surgeries and hospitalizations than most people three times his age,” said Judith, “but he keeps a positive attitude and when asked how he is doing, his answer will always be, ‘I’m fine’.” Through it all, though, he completed an Associate Degree in Education from Queensborough Community College in Queens, N.Y., in June 2017 and is now looking forward to working as a dialysis technician.
As an advocate of organ donation, Judith was involved and volunteered much of her time planning and assisting events with the Transplant Foundation, Inc., which is affiliated with the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. Currently, she has partnered with the National Kidney Foundation of Florida and organized a Masquerade, Black-tie event 12-29-18 in Pembroke Pines, Florida, to help raise funds and bring awareness to the importance of organ donation.
She urges anyone wanting more information on organ donation to visit the National Kidney Foundation of Florida (NKFF) or the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) or email her.
---------
Charlton transitioned on August 31, 2019, with his family by his side after having his 21st and most difficult surgery.
At 33 years of age, Charlton was a donor recipient and a very passionate advocate for organ donation. While facing ongoing health issues, Charlton worked and studied tirelessly to obtain his phlebotomist and dialysis technician certification to help others facing the same life changing health issues.
To honor Charlton’s memory, please register to be an organ donor at www.donatelifeflorida.org or donate here to the Charlton L. Johnson Foundation.
The mission of the Charlton L. Johnson Foundation is to inspire and bring awareness of the importance of being a registered organ donor. Its vision is to have many lives saved through the increased registration of organ donors.
Organizer
Judith Charlton
Organizer
Fort Lauderdale, FL