Meet a miracle: Carson Kirkland

He loves to run. His passion for the game of baseball is surpassed only by the joy he gets from riding his bicycle. And he rides his bicycle rather quickly - popping a wheelie to punctuate his ride. And, in July, this active youngster will put his skills to the test - in an Olympic-style competition.

From all outward appearances, Carson Kirkland, 8, looks like your typical All-American child. Even though his parents, Todd and Terri Kirkland, have kept his life as normal as possible, Carson is anything but typical. And the competition he will embark on is anything but your typical summer games. The games, the Transplant
Olympics, are for recipients of organ transplants.

His journey to these special games began at birth.

“Carson was born with hyperplastic left heart syndrome,” explained his mother, Terri. “His left ventricle was not large enough to sustain his heart.”

Within 24 hours of his birth, Carson and his parents were en route to UAB. That is when they received the diagnosis of Carson’s actual condition. A heart transplant was needed for their newborn son.

Three months later, the family’s prayers were answered.

“On December 1 (1999), we got the call about midnight (that a heart was available). Carson was headed to surgery.”

The wait for the organ and the impending surgery were difficult, but the outcome was met with relief and joy.

“It was a long, hard three months,” Mrs. Kirkland said. “We depended on our faith a lot. That is what got us through.”

Mrs. Kirkland stayed in Birmingham throughout the three-month wait while her husband, Todd, rotated between work in Dothan and visits to Birmingham to see his wife and son.

“We took it one day at a time,” Mrs. Kirkland said of the long ordeal. “The wait for the heart was the longest part. The (donor) infant has to be on life support. And, you also have to have a family that is so selfless to donate the organ (upon the death of their infant).”

Those factors narrowed the field of possible donors. Carson’s new heart came from an infant that was three to four months old.

Over the course of the next six years, Carson and his family made many trips to UAB.

“From the time that he got his heart until he was six years old, he had many hospital visits,” Mrs. Kirkland noted. “(Because of the transplant medication) his immune system is compromised. The older he gets, the stronger his immune system will get.

“We know God is taking care of him.”

In July, Carson will join other transplant recipients for a special camp just for them. This will be the third camp for Carson and his family.

“It was through this camp that we were told about Team Alabama,” Mrs. Kirkland stated. “It is for transplants and donor families. It’s also for live donors (who have given a kidney or other type of organ do-nation). Only the transplant recipients can actually participate in the Transplant Olympics.”

While the athletic competition will be exciting for Carson and his family, Mrs. Kirkland is looking forward to the trip to Pittsburgh, Pa., site of the Transplant Olympics, for a different reason.

“It’s exciting, to me, to meet other families, especially those who have made an organ donation,” Mrs. Kirkland said.

A donor ceremony will be held before the start of the Transplant Games to honor families who lost loved ones and donated their organs to help others live.

“The whole process is a miracle,” Mrs. Kirkland said. “They (families who consent to donate their loved ones’ organs) do the hard part.”

His parents’ willingness to let Carson enjoy life to the fullest has allowed him to run and play and develop a keen competitive spirit. He intends to win his three events - 50-yard dash, softball throw and bicycle ride.

“I ride my bike every day,” Carson said with a spirited twinkle flashing in his eyes. “And, I run every day in P.E. (at Highlands Elementary.)”

He plays baseball after school and believes that has prepared him for the softball throw. He will certainly put his outfielder’s arm to the test.

Carson’s eyes really light up when talk turns to cycling.

“I like to drive my bike fast and pop a wheelie,” Carson added. “I’ve gotten good by practicing a lot after the training wheels were taken off.”

Mrs. Kirkland says her son’s active life is a testament to God’s goodness.

“From the beginning, we said we would let him live as normal a life as possible,” Mrs. Kirkland said. “His heart is just like mine and yours. He has no limitations. His heart is perfectly healthy. He can play any sport.”

Getting Carson to this point, Mrs. Kirkland adds, was a family effort.

“Without my sister, Wendy (Lewis) and her husband, Clay, we wouldn’t have made it through it all,” Mrs. Kirkland said. “She went with me to UAB and stayed or she was back here taking care of kids. Wendy and her family have been through it all with us.”

Todd and Terri and their three children will be joined on the trip to Pittsburgh by Wendy and Clay Lewis and their three children.

The Transplant Games will be held July 11-16. It will be an expensive trip for the family. For that reason, the Kirklands are holding fund-raisers and accepting monetary donations to help with the cost. On tap is a car wash on May 31 in the parking lot of Southern Family Markets.

In addition to personal fund-raisers, the Kirklands have also raised money for Team Alabama by selling cookbooks.

(Elaine Brackin is managing editor of The Dothan Progress.)