Ursuline High School graduate Jerica Day chose the right major in college—with a bachelor’s degree in biology from John Carroll University in 2018, she is currenttly in her second year of medical school at Ohio State University.
“She is a giving person. She is caring, and the field she picked [reflects] how she has always been, even since she was a little kid,” said Jerica’s mother, Shari Day. The Days are parishioners at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Austintown.
But Jerica’s desire to help others manifests itself beyond her desired profession. In fact, she recently donated a kidney to her uncle.
“My uncle Michael has an autoimmune disease where your body is attacking from within, and it was targeting specifically his kidneys. He was operating at a very sub-optimal kidney function. His kidneys were operating at seven or eight percent by the time we did surgery,” said Jerica.
Immediate family are presumed to be compatible as an organ donor, but it is not always the case. Her uncle’s older brother was tested but was not found to be a fit to donate to him.
“I did the initial testing without him knowing. He didn’t want to ask anybody to do this for him,” said Jerica.
Jerica said the first tests were simple, and she did them remotely from college.
“They just did a simple blood test to see if you can be compatible … I knew there was a pretty good chance that I would be a match based on that initial testing,” said Jerica.
As part of the screening process, she was required to talk with a living donor advocate and a social worker about her feelings on becoming a donor and what it would entail for her and her future.
“They want to make sure you are doing this of your own free will and not being forced into it or getting paid to do it and that you are aware of all the possible things that could happen,” said Jerica. “The hardest was hearing how I would feel if his body rejected my kidney and mine was gone. I would feel like I failed. Luckily, that did not happen,” she said.
After she did her initial tests in the summer 2022, she traveled from Ohio to Oklahoma, where her aunt and uncle live, to do further testing at Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute in Oklahoma City.
She was approved to donate her kidney in January 2023, and her surgery date was set for June. This allowed her to recover in the summer before returning to medical school.
Once she was accepted, her uncle, in his 40s and relatively healthy otherwise, was informed who his donor was. “He was very happy and grateful, but he was really worried, as [were] my aunt and all my family,” said Jerica.
“I felt comfortable and almost excited for surgery,” she added. “I also knew I was in amazing hands with my surgical team, and I just prayed for the best outcome.”
Jerica and her mom quarantined for two weeks in Oklahoma prior to the surgery, which was scheduled for June 12.
“I was operated on first and it took about three hours. I was in recovery when my uncle went in for surgery. Mine was a little more intense of a surgery, since they were removing my left kidney—as opposed to [his], since he was gaining a kidney,” she said.
The surgeries took place on a Monday and both Jerica and her uncle were released on Thursday.
“Initially, I was in a lot of pain. I got to visit with my family and I stayed two weeks to have my post-op checkup. Once I was cleared to go home, we flew home the next day,” she said.
Jerica returned to her classes shortly afterward, but being completely back to normal will take a bit longer, and she admits to being impatient.
“It is going to take six months to a year to completely recover. Because I only have one kidney, it will grow in my body to kind of do the work of two,” she said, also noting, “I noticed a big difference in how long I could study without getting tired when I returned to class. With exercising—I like to run and I like to exercise—I have to be more mindful.”
She thinks that this experience will help her in her chosen career. “It was very humbling being a patient. It definitely gives you perspective,” she said.
“This was just an amazing experience that I got to do this for a person that I love very much in my family,” said Jerica. “I am fulfilling what I always wanted to do in a unique way. I did not think of it, but I guess I put my faith into action to give life.”
