Birmingham Police homicide detective Mark Green knows a thing or two about the love of a parent. He is a parent himself but often must talk to grieving parents who lost their children due to violence.
The constant reminder that life is so fragile puts things into perspective for Green, who is now helping his son fight for his own life after learning he needs a kidney transplant.
"This is my biggest fear and that's why we're so desperate now," Detective Green told 1819 News.
Jayden Green, 20, was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease IgA nephropathy when he was 15 years old. He began complaining about his back hurting, and then symptoms became worse with a declining kidney function.
"Just this past Christmas, he was at about 30% and then it just kept falling more and more and more and more," Detective Green told 1819 News. "Then he went back to the doctor about a month ago and they said, 'Okay, you're under 15%. Then it got to 9% and this past Wednesday they called us in and said they were reviewing his labs and he is between two and three percent kidney function."
For five years, Jayden Green has battled the condition, and now he needs a kidney.
"I watch him scream in pain and just have to sit there," Detective Green said. "It just breaks my heart so we're just doing the best we can to find him a donor."
Jayden Green has to sit in a dialysis center for eight hours a day on a dialysis machine. When Detective Green discovered April was National Donate Life Month, he went to the police department to help spread the word.
"It puts a lot of things in perspective," Detective Green said. "You know, I see I see grieving families and even in the condition that he's in, I still have no choice but to be thankful because I still have my son. I see brothers, sisters, moms, dads and grandparents every day grieve. I see husbands and wives who are grieving the loss of someone they love. So, I still have no choice but to be thankful that my son is still here."
Doctors at UAB believe the condition is autoimmune. They must carefully select a donor to counter the possibility that the body will reject a new kidney. Jayden Green has an A+ blood type. Genetic testing will also have to be performed to find the perfect match.
Detective Green said that, as a homicide detective and a former Navy corpsman assigned to the Marine Corps as a combat medic, this experience has been humbling.
"The amount of love and care that we have been shown is just overwhelming, which is a comforting change considering what I do for a living because I see hate, death, grief, violence all day every day," he said. "I mean that's just my living, so I see the absolute worst in humanity and then this. It's very humbling and we are very thankful for everybody that has shown us the love."
Even after Jayden Green finds a new kidney, he will have to continue medication for the rest of his life.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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