{"id":132,"date":"2025-05-22T05:28:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T05:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforshaferd\/?p=132"},"modified":"2025-11-24T05:41:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T05:41:04","slug":"sisters-kidney-donation-to-her-brother-is-a-dream-come-true","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforshaferd\/2025\/05\/22\/sisters-kidney-donation-to-her-brother-is-a-dream-come-true\/","title":{"rendered":"Sister\u2019s kidney donation to her brother is a dream come true"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Jessica Pasley<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 28, Shayli Daves fulfilled a calling \u2014 she donated a kidney to her youngest brother, Shafer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the past 14 years, Shayli has shared her desire to donate a kidney to her brother with most anyone who listened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a dream of mine,\u201d gushed Shayli. \u201cI knew I loved my little brother so much. I had an early desire as a child to extend life to him. Giving him a kidney has been amazing and miraculous to me, to say the least.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The siblings, both recovering from surgery, admitted they were best friends, a bond that has grown even deeper since the transplant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI also didn\u2019t realize how much I talked about wanting to be his donor to other people until my mom posted on Facebook that I was a match,\u201d Shayli said, laughing. \u201cAnd then I started getting texts from people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy genetics professor in college told me it was the fun fact I shared about myself on the first day of class about a future goal. And now look.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2009, Shafer was born with Denys-Drash syndrome, a rare genetic condition that leads to kidney failure as well as a risk of developing Wilms Tumor, a kidney cancer. In 2010, both of his kidneys were removed, and daily 11-hour dialysis began as the family awaited transplantation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shayli, 9 at the time, was very willing, but did not meet the age requirements to donate. On June 22, 2011, Shafer received the lifesaving organ from his mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the hope the family experienced from the successful living-donor transplant, they knew Shafer\u2019s transplant journey wasn\u2019t over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKidney failure is a chronic disease,\u201d said Kathy Jabs, MD, Shafer\u2019s nephrologist and medical director, Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children\u2019s Hospital at Vanderbilt. \u201cParents are told to expect more than one transplant, which is a treatment not a cure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have watched Shafer grow up. It\u2019s nice to see him move from having his parents do all of the communicating to him expressing his ideas and concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024 Shafer\u2019s transplanted kidney began to fail. Shayli did not hesitate to start the testing phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI already knew I was going to be the donor,\u201d she said. \u201cI had a surreal peace about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shafer, now 15, also felt confident in the donation. His kidney lasted nearly 14 years, four years longer than expected by his medical team, said his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always known that she\u2019s had a calling on her heart to be the next donor,\u201d said Shafer. \u201cI\u2019ve been hearing it my whole life, and it\u2019s really crazy that it has come full circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShayli has filled that kind of second mom role. She has always watched over us and encouraged us. She has been that person for our family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel blessed to receive such a gift. I just feel so loved by someone who is so willing to sacrifice her life and time for me. She did this during such a busy season in her life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shayli is finishing her final year in the physician assistant program at Trevecca Nazarene University, a direction she credits to her brother\u2019s medical journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transplant was planned around her coursework. With two clinical rotations left, she graduates in August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to be able to help other people like Shafer,\u201d said Shayli. \u201cHe really kick-started my interests and thoughts about the fact that I could really impact a lot of people. I\u2019ve seen what medical advances have done to save his life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shafer, a rising high school sophomore, is looking forward to returning to a few of his favorite things \u2014 basketball, bird farming and youth group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been playing basketball since I was young. I\u2019m a three-point shooter, feel like it\u2019s my natural ability. I feel like I have been able to keep up with the game, and my health hasn\u2019t really held me back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really hope that I am fully recovered so that I will be able to play this season. And I love farming. I have 11 exotic birds, peacocks, that I raise and ship eggs across the state. I also have some mandarin ducks, golden pheasants and some goats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An additional win for the family involves Shafer\u2019s transplant surgeon. Both were performed by David Shaffer, MD, professor of Surgery and surgical director of the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who is retiring this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are so incredibly blessed that Dr. Shaffer was able to successfully transplant Shafer, twice,\u201d said Jada Daves, mom to Shafer and Shayli. \u201cWe truly believe God aligned our paths to cross \u2026 his bedside manner and authentic passion for his patients is unmatched.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, Shayli has returned to school to complete her clinical rotations. Shafer is busy with daily walks, board games and family time while awaiting his release to return home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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Siblings Shayli and Shafer Daves at home following the transplant. (photo by Susan Urmy)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Shafer Daves after his transplant with David Shaffer, MD, who performed both of Shafer\u2019s kidney transplants.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Jessica Pasley On April 28, Shayli Daves fulfilled a calling \u2014 she donated a kidney to her youngest brother, Shafer. For the past 14 years, Shayli has shared her desire to donate a kidney to her brother with most anyone who listened. \u201cIt\u2019s been a dream of mine,\u201d gushed Shayli. \u201cI knew I loved […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2377,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforshaferd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforshaferd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforshaferd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforshaferd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2377"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforshaferd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforshaferd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforshaferd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}