March 19, 2014, will forever remain a special date on the Lewis family’s calendar of memories. It marked the time when Sherri Lewis saved her brother, Cuong Lewis’ life, by donating a kidney to him.
Family members of the brother and sister spent weekend time with the pair, leading up to March 19, 2024 while celebrating the 10-year mark of the journey that Cuong and Sherri took together.
“It was a huge family gathering,” Sherri said while reminiscing.
Sherri—who is a Maryland resident— recently flew to Florida for the big celebration that included their sister, spouses, parents and cousins. There was no shortage of smiles, joy and expressions of gratitude. The Lewis’ have a lot to reflect on while acknowledging what went right in the midst of Cuong’s previous health crisis.
“I can tell you, ten years ago, when we started this process, we were looking at the numbers of how long a kidney might last. I think the numbers we saw at that time were seven or eight years on average. It’s kind of frightening to think about that,” Sherri said, referring to her brother’s kidney transplant. “This is ten years since the transplant. This is huge because ten years ago, we didn’t even know if we would get to 10 years.”
The kidney that Sherri donated to Cuong is holding up. She recalled receiving heartfelt cards and thank yous the night of the big, family celebration. Cuong would not have had a chance to experience significant, happy life events and memories, including family high school graduations and birthdays, if he had not received a kidney transplant.
“The things that we take for granted every day for him may not have been possible,” Sherri said.
Courtesy photo
Cuong further shared the status of his physical and mental health, post-transplant.
“It’s going great. I had a couple of scares within the last couple of months, but it was due to some medication changes, but besides that, my last labs [lab work] were probably the best I’ve had in nine or 10 years,” he said, speaking on the go.
Cuong further explained, “I wouldn’t be able to do the things that I’m doing right now. Obviously working two jobs and taking care of my family; getting these kids through college and that type of thing.”
Although the busy husband and father can currently work two full-time jobs and continue in a positive direction in his life with his lovely family, what happened to Cuong’s kidneys years ago was unexpected and alarming. He discovered that his kidneys were failing after heading to urgent care. The Florida resident felt severe cramping, mostly in his legs and lower back. He thought the pain was simply because he was overworking himself. After finding out that his kidney function was 14%, Cuong needed to start dialysis since his kidneys stopped working properly. His kidney function continued to decline. Sherri did not hesitate to help her brother by donating a kidney.
Some of her friends have reached out to Sherri to obtain information about the kidney transplant process. She also remains deeply involved with volunteer and advocacy work and serves on a community advisory board with U-SPEAK—Understanding Parental Expectations, Attitudes and Knowledge Regarding Pediatric Tissue Donation for Research.
“It’s a joint study between Johns Hopkins and NIH,” Sherri said. “Then, I also still serve on the Board for Donate Life Maryland and I volunteer with the organization in Maryland that handles organ procurement [Infinite Legacy].”
April is National Donate Life Month. This is an ideal time to celebrate and honor the gift of organ, eye and tissue donation. Cuong’s story highlights the importance of giving the gift of life.
He reflected on some of life’s highlights that he has experienced because of his sister’s unselfish organ donation. A second child is graduating from college in May with a biomedical degree and a Master’s degree in Arts and Sciences.
“I have one more to go. She is a sophomore at the local university. Once she’s done with that, I can kick back and just work one job and get through things,” Cuong said.
The proud father added that he is elated that he could live to support his children.
“My main goal was to get these kids through college. I’ve got one more to go, so without my sister’s generosity, I would not be in the position that I am right now. I can’t thank her enough for the gift that she’s given me. I will forever be indebted to her.”
Learn more about registering to become an organ, eye and tissue donor in Maryland via www.donatelifemaryland.org/how-to-register.