CEDARTOWN, Ga. - On her wedding day, a Cedartown woman asked the man who whose life she saved to walk her down the aisle and give her away.
In 2011, Carlotta Swift saw a post on Facebook about a 21-year-old man in need of a new kidney.
Cindy Easterwood, also of Cedartown, was seeking donors for her son, Wes, who was sick with chronic kidney failure.
Carlotta, who had never met Wes before, said she has always considered herself a supporter of organ donation. So she contacted Cindy and asked how she could help.
Carlotta got tested an on her 48th birthday received wonderful news.
“I received the call that was an answer to so many prayers, I was indeed a MATCH for Wes to donate one of my kidneys to him,” she said.
She went through more testing and learned her kidneys were healthy and a near perfect match for Wes.
On April 6, 2012, which was Good Friday, Carlotta successfully donated her kidney to Wes. She said they now refer to the holy day as “Great” Friday.
Following the surgery, Wes went to college, got a job, bought a house and married the love of his life. It’s the life he always dreamed of and a life made possible thanks to Carlotta.
“I may have lost a kidney, but have gained so much more. A new brother in Wes,” she told us.
Carlotta, who is a mother of three, got engaged on Christmas Eve last year and saw her close friend Wes the very next day.
“I saw Wes the next day on Christmas and asked him if he would give me away and be my ‘Man of Honor’ at my wedding,” she said. “He did not hesitate and said ‘of course, that is what brothers are for.’”
Carlotta married her now-husband, Lee, last month. Her two sons walked her out first, then handed her off to Wes’ parents, who then handed her off to Wes.
“[Wes] walked me the rest of the way up to my groom,” she told FOX 5.
The newlywed told us there have been zero complications since the transplant and both her and Wes are healthy and doing great.