Grandfather giving a kidney to Elgin childJuly 10, 2007 06:14 PM
ELGIN, SC (WIS) - Malachi Beauchamp, a two-year-old Elgin boy, has had five surgeries before the age of one. He has had many blood transfusions, infections, and he even suffered heart failure due to the loss of his kidneys.
But now, Malachi may be getting a second chance at life, thanks to his grandfather.
When it comes to children, it doesn't matter if you're a person of faith or not. Somewhere deep inside, when you look at their faces, you hope and pray they'll live a happy and healthy life. And then for people like Bob Carins, the tides change, and so did his prayers. "You're kneeling on his bedside, praying the pain will go away, and that you'll wake up and this would be gone at some point in time."
Bob, a nuclear engineer in Hartsville, says his life is a series of peaks and valleys. It started when his nine-month-old grandson Malachi, the youngest of three boys, was diagnosed with a tumor in his kidney.
That's treatable in most cases, but not for Malachi. The cancer was so aggressive chemotherapy couldn't stop it. Malachi ended up losing his hair and both his kidneys.
When Malachi needed a kidney transplant, Bob didn't think he'd be a candidate because of his age. But now, he's discovered he's a match - and he's ready to donate, "I think I've been preserved for this moment. I'm ready to go."
The transplant is scheduled for next week in Charleston, but Malachi's situation is fragile, Bob says, "He's at a point in life where a little infection could throw this off."
We couldn't see Malachi Tuesday, because he's having a bad day. At two-and-a-half, he's taught his grandfather about the importance of family and health. "It can go away at any time. And we do we have a lot of pictures of those smiles, pictures of those times when they weren't smiling, when there are tubes coming out of their bodies. Santa Claus is standing there at Christmas-time, baby unconscious, just getting out of surgery."
The name Malachi is biblical. It means messenger of God. And Bob says he's confident his grandson will be around for years to come, to pass along those messages. "Hopefully when he's older, he'll know he has a piece of granddad in him, and hopefully it will be with him for a long time."
The surgeries and the medications afterwards are very costly. If you'd like to help the family, you can donate to the Malachi Beauchamp Fund at any Wachovia bank. Make the check out to the Children's Organ Transplant Association.
Reported by Kara Gormley
Posted by Chantelle Janelle
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6771340PHOTO: Malachi
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