By Andrew Edwards
Elmore/Autauga News Staff Writer
Top Photo, Left to Right – Christopher Robinson (Alyssa’s fiance), Alyssa Dupree, Christopher Dupree, Heather Adams, Linda McAndrews (Grandmother), George Adams
Christopher Dupree, 19, and Alyssa Dupree, 21, have lived in Millbrook for the majority of their lives.
The two are bother and sister, sharing a lot in common such as their love for bowling. They lived a fairly normal childhood with one another, hanging out with friends, eating nightly meals at the dinner table with family, and earning their high school diplomas from Stanhope Elmore High School.
However, it wasn’t always a smooth sailing lifestyle.
At just the age of nine, Chris was diagnosed with Dent Disease, a chronic kidney disease that forces the body to release excess amounts of calcium and vitamin D, which can lead to stunted growth and, ultimately, kidney failure.
“The way that it was described to me, is that it’s like a metal pail with a hole in it. It sheds off the calcium, the phosphorous, and all the vitamin D that harms your kidneys faster than if you didn’t have Dents Disease. So, it put him on a slow decline,” said Heather Adams, mother of Chris and Alyssa.
Chris would take quarterly visits to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham to take tests and run diagnostics to determine the state of his health. Chris said that, due to his age at the time, his diagnosis didn’t affect him too negatively.
“As I got older, that’s when I really started to understand it more,” [Chris] Dupree said.
But having the disease was not going to stop Dupree from living his life. If fact, he thrived given his situation.
“I honestly feel normal a lot of the time. I try to not let it stop me from doing things. Having all the knee surgeries stopped me playing baseball, which was a bummer. But I kept my head up,” [Chris] Dupree said.
Dupree had seven different knee surgeries throughout this childhood, which were needed to correct his growth plate. The loss of calcium in his bones caused his growth plate to lag on one leg. He ultimately had to have surgery on both knees.
“I was like 4’ 11” going into my sophomore year. After the surgeries they started to give me growth hormones for two years, and I ended up being one of the taller ones,” [Chris] Dupree laughed.
Nearly a year and half ago, Chris and his family discovered from UAB doctors that his kidney was only functioning at 8%, which was classified as stage 5 chronic kidney failure. He was advised to put his name on a wait list for a kidney transplant immediately.
“Without a transplant, he was going to die,” Adams said.
Adams said that some doctors advised them to go on dialysis, but that they never really wanted that to be option.
Soon after being told about his condition, Dupree was able to quickly find himself on a donor’s list.
“Many people who are waiting for a kidney have to be put on dialysis because the wait can take so long,” [Chris] Dupree said.
Dialysis would have brought its own troubles, and would have required Chris to be hooked to machines for hours on a nightly basis to purify his blood.
Then, a miracle happened.
Three days before he scheduled a visit to see a doctor about dialysis becoming a real possibility, he found out this his sister, Alyssa, was a perfect match as a donor.
“He could have been on that list for years waiting for a match,” Adams said.
Alyssa said her decision to put her name on the donor’s list came swiftly.
“I signed up as soon as I could. They [UAB hospital] called me a few months later and asked me to come run some tests with them. About a week after that they called me again and told me that I was a 100%, perfect match,” [Alyssa] Dupree said.
Giving her kidney to her brother was a choice that came naturally to her.
“I had told myself my entire life that I wanted to be one who would do it. We knew the day was going to come, we just didn’t know when it would be,” [Alyssa] Dupree said.
The two had their surgery at UAB Hospital in Birmingham on June 17th of this year. The family had their fair share of emotions leading up to operation time.
“I went through every emotion known to man. You’ve got both your babies back there, but you know God’s got it and that the staff is highly trained. Still, there were a lot of nerves,” Adams said.
In the end, the hours of surgery went off without a hitch and both Chris and Alyssa made full recoveries, although varying in time.
“I was actually up and walking in 24 hours and I was back home within a week,” Alyssa said.
A little bit of pain and dietary issues have caused her some trouble since the operation. Still, Alyssa was adamant about her decision.
“I’d do it again if I could,” [Alyssa] Dupree said.
Chris’ recovery has come a bit slower. However, he, as well as the rest of his family have been informed that he is completely free of Dent Disease. His new kidney, provided by his sister, will last him for nearly 50 years.
“I honestly can’t thank her enough. The amount of appreciation that I have – I can’t even put it into words,” [Chris] Dupree said.
It was only a year from the time that Chris found out that he needed a transplant to the day of his surgery.
“I’ve got two amazing kids. How do you show appreciation, love and gratitude for a gift like this? There was a lot of crying, but there was a lot of joy too,” Adams said.
Leading up to the surgery and afterwards, the community has shown an unbelievable amount of support for Chris.
Before the operation, Chris regularly worked at Bama Lanes where he forged many relationships. The Head of Security, Van Woodall, helped to donate $1,000 to Chris’s cause.
Others like Alyssa’s Church, Amazing Grace Worship, in Alabaster helped to donate as well. In all, Chris and family were about to receive nearly $2,600 in donations.
“The outreach and support have been awesome. I can’t thank my family and friends enough for checking in on me and showing me the amount of love that they have. It’s just been so special,” [Chris] Dupree said.
Chris must now remain rested for the next six months to allow his immune system to return once again. After that time’s up, it’s full steam ahead.
“I’m ready to bowl again,” Chris laughed.
