Amy Grant's daughter, Millie Chapman, is recovering from surgery this week after she donated one of her kidneys to her best friend. Kathryn Dudley and Chapman grew up together and have been friends since grade school.
The surgery took place last week after doctors were unable to find a donor kidney for the young Dudley. Their surgeons say that the operation presented no problems for them and that both girls are doing just fine.
Millie's dad, songwriter Gary Chapman, posted an update to Facebook on Tuesday. "Millie is out of surgery and everything is looking good," he shared. "She'll be hurting for awhile but healing is underway. Kat is in recovery as well. Thank you all for your prayers and kindness. God is good."
It will take the girls three to eight weeks to fully recover from their surgeries.
Naturally, Millie's entire family is extremely proud of her and her sacrifice for her friend. Many members of her family posted to social media, including Millie's mom Amy Grant, before the surgery saying how proud they were of her.
Kathryn Dudley first started having problems with her kidneys when she was just 13 years old. It was then that doctors diagnosed her with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). The disease causes portions of the kidneys, like the tubes, to scar. Kathryn's kidneys grew so much scar damage that they were starting to fail.
To help save her life, doctors put Kathryn's name on the donor list in 2014. After learning her best friend was going into kidney failure, Millie quickly offered to have herself tested. Surprisingly, the girls were a complete match. Now, two years later, the surgery is finished, and both are looking to a long future together.
One thing is certain, Millie is definitely the type of friend you would want to hang onto.
