He gave his father a tremendous gift here yesterday. He donated a kidney to his ailing dad, who'd been on constant dialysis for more than 6 months now.
Jerome said there was no hesitation once tests confirmed they were a match and he could make his father's quality of life so much better.
"It's the right thing; it's family," Jerome said.
Charles Smith is enjoying his new lease on life courtesy of his youngest son. Their entire family is celebrating.
"I brought my kids up good. They were always around me. When I asked them to do something, they did it," Charles said.
Ironically, three years ago, the matriarch of the family, Carolyn Sweet, became herself a kidney transplant recipient.
"Just take care of your kidney, keep praying, take your medicine because there will be a lot of medicine, and everything will be alright," Carolyn told Charles in the hospital room.
The Temple surgical team has pulled this kind of transplant surgery on a routine basis these days, after dramatic advancements over the last decade.
"Because it has gotten more routine, more and more people are afforded the opportunity to have a transplant," Temple surgeon Dr. John Daller said.
Father and son are headed home from the hospital this weekend. According to their doctors, the long term prognosis for both is excellent.
So good in fact, that Jerome Sweet may be able to return to his job as a sheet metal worker in about two weeks.
Get Action News on your website
