LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lena Washington always assumed the Down syndrome diagnosis would be the worst of it when it came to her son, NaQuan.
“He’s in a lot of pain and really just doesn’t understand everything,” she explained.
27-year-old NaQuan Wilson was diagnosed as being in kidney failure in the fall of 2023. Months later, back-to-back test results showed further deterioration to the point of having to be placed on the national donor recipient list.
“So many strangers have reached out and said they want to be tested,” Lena said of the offers she’s been made aware of recently. “The smallest thing anybody says or does (lately) makes me cry most of the time,” she said of her emotions.
When NaQuan was eight months old, the family was told about Down syndrome. He’s lived a full life by playing sports in the Special Olympics. He’s also very active at home, where his nieces and nephews call him “Unc.”
“Loves to dance and loves music,” Lena said of her son.
She said, medically, he has good days and bad. Last night was one of the bad.
“We were up with him until three in the morning,” Lena said.
There’s no way of predicting how long he might wait on that recipient list. It could be a month, or it could be much longer. Lena said NaQuan could process what was happening, and a family member told him he needed the surgery to be strong again to play. He understood that Lena noted.
What Lena never understood is why these things happened to her boy.
“Why him and not me? As a mother, you want to take everything for them,” she stated.
The Reverend at her church, Timothy Jackson, has been reaching out to various media outlets, hoping to share NaQuan’s story and spread the word about the need for a donor. Lena is incredibly grateful to him for doing so.
“They have reached out and showed a lot of concern and support for us. Been such a blessing to have that in our lives, yes,” she said.
NaQuan has been a blessing, too. Lena always said the extra chromosome that causes Down syndrome was an additional blessing, allowing NaQuan to give extra love.
“So loving and so caring. The way he sees the world. He doesn’t see anything bad in this world, and I love that,” Lena said.
If you’d like information about getting tested to be a living donor for NaQuan, you can call the University of Kentucky Living Kidney Donor Center at 859-323-2467
