North Texas teen thrives after lifesaving kidney donation from his father: "We've always had a special bond"
A North Texas teenager's busy life came to a sudden stop after experiencing kidney failure at just 17 years old. He spent 12 hours a day on dialysis and needed a transplant. His story became one of love and sacrifice from someone close to home.
The relationship between Blake Martens and his dad, Bill, remains unbreakable.
"We've always had a special bond. He's someone I look up to," Blake Martens said.
That bond grew even stronger through difficult times. Doctors diagnosed Blake at seven months old with multicystic dysplastic kidney, a condition in which the kidney does not develop normally in the womb.
"We had that removed when he was one year old. The belief and expectation was that he was fine," Bill Martens said.
A sudden health crisis at 17
Blake lived a normal childhood with one kidney and started playing lacrosse at six years old. It quickly became his passion. But at 17, everything changed.
"I went into end-stage renal failure. All of a sudden, we didn't know anything. We didn't have a diagnosis, so it's definitely shocking and something I didn't expect. It was a big turnaround for me in life," Blake Martens said.
The diagnosis was Alport Syndrome, a rare genetic disease passed on from his mother.
"I remember just simply walking into the hospital room and getting a diagnosis and just feeling absolutely gutted," Bill Martens said.
A father steps forward to save his son
Bill knew what he needed to do.
"I knew the best way I can help is to be the donor," he said.
Bill donated a kidney at UT Southwestern, and the medical team at Children's Health performed the transplant.
"I remember feeling a part of me is gone with kidney removed from me. That's now in my son. It's amazing. It's a remarkable experience. You're saving someone's life," Bill Martens said.
A return to the field and a future ahead
"I was back running in about two months, rebuilding my core strength. I got to play my entire senior lacrosse season, and they put me as a captain on the team," Blake Martens said.
From high school lacrosse captain to preparing to attend Southern Methodist University in August, Blake feels ready for what comes next thanks to his father's sacrifice.
Blake plans to continue playing lacrosse at SMU. He takes daily medication to ensure his body does not reject his dad's kidney.
"It's definitely cool that he was able to give me the gift of life, and that's something that I'll be grateful for the rest of my life," he said.
Blake now looks forward to living life to the fullest, strengthened by a father's love and a bond that connects them not just emotionally, but physically as well.
