Facebook kidney donor gets surprise honor

[okarol]

Facebook kidney donor gets surprise honor

Posted: Oct 15, 2011 1:01 PM PDT
Updated: Oct 15, 2011 1:17 PM PDT
By Tom Roussey, Reporter - bio | email

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - A woman who donated a kidney to a man she heard about on facebook but had never met received an honorary black belt Saturday.

Amy Cunningham of Indian Land received the honor at Leadership Martial Arts in Southwest Charlotte.

In July Cunningham donated one of her kidneys to David Ensley of Indian Trail.

She says she felt led to be tested to see if she was a match after seeing a facebook page David's sister Jennifer had set up to try to find a kidney for him.

It turned out she was a one in 20 million match.

Amy has worked out at Leadership Martial Arts in the past, and her son Chase is a black belt there and husband Chuck is a brown belt.

Sensei Derek Richardson says black belts at the academy unanimously decided to give Amy an honorary black belt for her selfless act.  He says Leadership Martial Arts had never given out such an honor before.

"She deserves all the respect of any other black belt here," he said.

"I'm speechless," Amy told WBTV after receiving the black belt.  "I didn't do anything, I feel, to deserve this.  I mean, all I did was say yes."

But others at the academy feel Amy certainly did deserve the honor.  One woman was even moved to tears just talking with Amy about the kidney donation.

Amy and David's sister Jennifer are now working together to start the Blessings Forward Foundation.  They say it's purpose will be to provide money for people who want to donate a kidney but can't afford to miss work to do it.

"No parent should ever have to choose between paying the mortgage or saving their child's life," Amy said.

Amy and David's story is also inspiring others.  Just this past week a woman in Mebane, North Carolina, appeared on television after turning to facebook to try to find a kidney donor.

David Ensley was unable to make Saturday's ceremony for Amy.  Sister Jennifer says although anti-rejection drugs give him some pain sometimes, he is still doing very well and his body has taken to his new kidney.

He told WBTV a couple months ago he felt like a "million bucks" and has a new energy and lease on life thanks to Amy's kidney.  He says doctors told him Amy's kidney was such an excellent match that it was as if she were his sister -- even though the two had never met.

http://www.wbtv.com/story/15702456/facebook-kidney-donor-gets-surprise-honor