Editor’s note: The following story was submitted for the Shaler Area Student Section, a collaboration between TribLive and The Oracle, the student newspaper of Shaler Area High School.
Since November 2023, Deven Wilson and his family have been waiting for a miracle.
Wilson had fallen sick and eventually was diagnosed with GPA vasculitis, an autoimmune disorder that affects the lungs, kidneys and sinuses. After additional testing, he also was diagnosed with aHUS, which causes blood clots in the body’s smallest blood vessels that can lead to organ damage.
Since his diagnosis, Wilson has been through countless tests, treatments and doctor visits. While some of it worked, what he really needed was a kidney transplant.
“This was the scariest time of our lives. Everything was happening all at once to him, and it seemed like anything that could go wrong was. He had seizures, colitis, pancreatitis, extremely high bps, fluid in lung and so much more. But, somehow, he kept pushing forward and fighting. His strength was and is unbelievably amazing,” said his mother, Tina.
Wilson’s perseverance did not go unnoticed by the people around him. People from all over the world started sending their prayers and spreading his story. The Wilson family even started a website — “Deven Needs a Donor” at devenneedsadonor.com — to share his story and try to find a match.
After several months, multiple news stories, hundreds of tests, constant determination and lots of support, everyone’s prayers were answered. On Feb. 15, the Wilsons got the call that a kidney was available.
“My dad just came and knocked on my door. I saw he was on the phone, and it just popped into my head that that’s what it was. I could just see it on his face,” Wilson said. “I didn’t know how to react. I was kind of all over the place.”
After the family got the call around 9 p.m. that night, they rushed to the hospital. At midnight, Wilson did his last session of dialysis, which took a few hours. By 7 a.m., he was getting prepped for surgery.
“We kissed and hugged and told him we loved him. Then we went back to the room, and we just waited for the news.” Tina Wilson said.
“I was kind of nervous, but I just told them to knock me out because I didn’t want to think about it,” Wilson said of the prepping process.
Thankfully, the transplant was a success. Wilson spent a few days in the ICU. After he was discharged, he had to be extremely careful because he was more susceptible to getting sick.
More recently though, he has been allowed to get back to his “normal life.” He no longer has to do dialysis three times a week and no longer has to worry about trying to find more treatments that work.
“It’s pretty weird. I mean, it is definitely setting in more. But it is nice because my weeks are shorter now; the appointments are more spread out now. It’s nice to be able to have that sense of normal again,” he said.
Wilson was able to participate in Shaler Area’s boys volleyball’s Senior Night, playing for the first time since his diagnosis in 2023. On May 20, he witnessed his team win the WPIAL Class 2A championship match at Peters Township High School. It marked the team’s fourth consecutive title.
Wilson also attended the high school’s senior dinner and wrapped up his senior year with prom and graduation.
Among the highlights this year was attending and speaking March 7 at the National Kidney Foundation Gala, an annual fundraiser hosted by the nonprofit.
“We got the offer before he even got the transplant so we were sort of hesitant on whether or not he was going to do it or not. But he wanted to do it and he did so good. It was surprising how well he spoke up there and how inspirational he was,” said Wilson’s father, Robb. “It was only three weeks after his transplant, too. I was very proud of him. He was so amazing.”
Although the transplant has helped tremendously, this isn’t the end of Wilson’s battle. He still must endure hospital visits, take multiple medications and might need another transplant in the future. He received the donation from a deceased donor. The difference between receiving a living versus a deceased donor varies. An average living kidney donor lasts 15 to 20 years, while one from a deceased donor lasts 10 to 15.
Wilson’s dream of attending a police academy and becoming a police officer is on hold for a while until he becomes stronger.
“Every day I am reminded of the second chance he has been given. Every day I appreciate and give thanks to the donor and the donor family. However, the transplant is not a cure but a treatment. Deven is not out of the woods, life is just different. It is better now, and for that I am forever grateful,” Tina Wilson said.