CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A school community came together in an incredible way to save one of their own. A kindergartener at Providence Day School needed a kidney transplant, and someone stepped up to help him.
"My name is Carter, and I'm 5 years old," Carter Wilson said as WCNC Charlotte sat down to talk to him in his classroom.
It’s easy to see why someone might want to help this adorable kindergartener, even a total stranger.
"Seeing his face in that picture, and then hearing the words his parents said, putting myself in their shoes and knowing what they were going through, I felt, if I was in a position to help, there’s no reason I shouldn’t," Caroline Dudley explained.
Dudley's four kids are all students at Providence where Carter attends.
"Once I read his story, I was hooked and saw he needed a transplant and saw in the comments we were the same blood type," Dudley recalled. "I knew nothing about it, but after a quick Google search, I submitted the form."
Carter was a healthy kid until March 2023 when he went to the hospital with pneumonia. While there, his parents were shocked to learn his kidneys weren’t working well.
"Doctors said his creatine levels kept shooting up, and I was like 'What does that mean?'" Carter's dad Dewett Wilson said. "They said, 'He needs to go for emergency surgery for dialysis.' From then on, our life was completely different."
"I had to be on dialysis," Carter explained.
"What was that like?" WCNC Charlotte's Michelle Boudin asked.
"Sad," Carter said.
"Why?" Boudin said.
Carter's response: "Because I was not having fun."
"His kidney function went from 90% to 10% in about five weeks," his dad added.
His mom got to work to try to find a donor, getting creative in the process.
"I reached out to some of the moms in the class and said, 'Can you help me share the story?' and the whole Providence Day community, they really helped us out tremendously," Sadna Wilson said.
They posted it on the school’s social media, which is where Dudley saw it.
She gave Carter her kidney and was among his first visitors after both had their surgery.
"I feel like I've gained a family, so I've gotten more out of this experience than I ever imagined," Dudley explained.
Her picture is part of a family collage in Carter's locker at school, and the two families regularly get together.
"She's like an angel," Sadna Wilson said. "She reminded me there's still good people in the world."
"She's a one-in-a-million type of person," Dewett Wilson said. "She's a remarkable human being. She's given our little boy a shot at life."
Both families said it’s very important to them to spread awareness about kidney donations, as there is a big need. Dudley said it was pretty easy: She was back playing tennis not long after surgery. She said what she got in return was immeasurable.
If you're interested in being an organ donor, you can find more information here.
Contact Michelle Boudin at mboudin@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.