Leslie Powell

Mason (left) and Leslie Powell, Jeannie Cordaro and Anna Powell surround Trey.

Willing to Go the Extra Mile

BY LESLIE POWELL

I have been a Canton resident since 2004. We were drawn to this community as the perfect place to raise our family. We had no idea then how much the community truly would transform our lives. A community is much more than just the land, homes and stores. It is defined by the people who live there. Canton has proved to be a supportive and life-changing location for my family.

It started on a baseball field at Hobgood Park, where my son played. That is where we first met the Cordaro family. Their son, Brady, played on the same team. Through the years, our families found ourselves together through Cherokee Youth Basketball teams, Girl Scout troops at the elementary school, and the same church.

In February 2018, we were sitting in a gym watching our daughter’s team play in the championship for the middle school basketball league. My husband, Trey Powell, started having terrible pains in his leg. We went to a local emergency room, fearing a blood clot. He was diagnosed with cellulitis on the inside of his right foot, and was sent home with an antibiotic.

Over the next week, his infection grew worse. He was admitted to the hospital with sepsis from the infection. They aggressively treated the infection with IV medications. With no prior kidney problems, we found his situation much worse when, after six days of treatment, his kidneys went into Stage V kidney failure, as a result of the medications. This battle with infection would keep him in the hospital until July 4, 2018. He underwent more than 24 surgeries, with five of them being amputations to his right leg. When he came home, on our country’s Independence Day, his life had changed forever.

Living without a limb is life-altering. You have to learn new ways to do things and how to navigate your new normal. Living with two failing kidneys also is life-changing. To survive, Trey needed dialysis three days a week for four hours each time. He got up at 4:10 a.m. to make his 5:25 a.m. dialysis seat time in Roswell. He would be fatigued and nauseated from the dialysis, and he often was hospitalized with complications. Although he had survived the health crisis, he felt he was merely existing and no longer living. That is when the doctors suggested a kidney transplant. While Trey went through the process of being placed on the organ donation list, his doctors suggested he search for a living donor.

In October 2019, we announced on social media our search for a kidney donor. We were hopeful, yet anxious. People in this community rallied around us during his health crisis. Many people provided meals and donations to carry us through the tough times. However, asking for a kidney seemed like an impossible task. Would someone actually be willing to go through the testing, endure the surgery, take the time off work to heal, and actually give an organ to someone? The answer was YES.

Our community friend, whose life had been entwined with ours through activities of our children, reached out to help. Jeannie Cordaro, one of the first to volunteer, was identified as a possible match and endured months of testing to confirm. In September 2020, we were notified that she was a perfect match. On Nov. 12, 2020, at Emory University Hospital, Jeannie had surgery to have a kidney transplant that would change all our lives forever.

Her kidney, which Jeannie named “Althea” (which means “with healing power”), immediately started working. Trey never needed dialysis after surgery. His bloodwork consistently has been stable. He now has energy, and no more nausea. His life truly has been changed by the gift from our friend.

The Powell family is so thankful for Jeannie’s willingness to help. Such a selfless act of kindness is rare to find. She truly has the heart of Christ. She stated on social media that, “Jesus called those who follow him to be his hands and feet and love one another. I try to live my life doing what he has asked. I am blessed to have this opportunity to do that for Trey and his family who I have known for many years.”

There is an Albert Einstein quote on the wall at Emory that says, “Only a life lived for others is worth living.” In a world where so many people are focused on themselves and their family, we were blessed with a friend who gave. Our lives were changed by a friend who was willing to make a difference by considering the needs of others. We were touched by an angel.