A Lasting Bond Between Nurses

August 6, 2020:

Brenda Darling and Daryl Mullee worked together as nurses at Gainesville’s Alachua General Hospital. Brenda worked in the recovery room, and Daryl worked in the operating room.

Their sons, Brandon and Charles, were in the same first grade class at J.J. Finley Elementary School, and the two quickly became best friends. They would both graduate from Gainesville High School (GHS).

While Brenda and Daryl had a lot in common, they would later share much more.

Brenda’s oldest son, Alton, was substitute teaching at GHS, when he ran into Daryl, who was working as the school’s clinic nurse. Daryl asked how his mother was doing, and he told her she was not doing well. She was in need of a kidney transplant.

“As clear as I state it now, I heard God say, ‘You can help her,’” Daryl said. “I called Brenda and said, ‘I heard you need a kidney. Want one of mine?’”

Through testing at UF Health Shands Hospital, the two found out they were a perfect match. The surgery was scheduled for December 2010, but the transplant would be postponed.

“For some reason, I believe God told me to cancel everything,” Brenda said. “In retrospect, I know why. My kidneys rebounded and lasted two more years.”

Brenda continued working. She ran marathon relays and competed in Jacksonville’s well-known Gate River Run. It was shortly after the March 2012 race when she began feeling worse. She retired that May, and her transplant was scheduled for June 12.

“It was part of God’s divine plan for me to wait,” Brenda said. “My then mother-in-law and my best friend were retired and had more availability to be caregivers when I needed them.”

The surgery went smoothly, and Daryl returned to work about six weeks later.

Brenda began having abdominal pain in August. She lost weight, and the cause remained unknown. In October, she had a high fever and would have an infection every four to six weeks, nearly continually, with the exception of one year infection-free.

Brenda began visiting Jacksonville’s Mayo Clinic, where she was listed in December 2018 to await her second kidney transplant. She’s been doing home dialysis since April 2018, completing it nightly.

Brenda is searching for a living donor through a “Share Your Spare” campaign on Facebook, and one of her sons is being evaluated for paired donation.

Brenda remains active while she waits. She enjoys gardening, movies, watching football, church and nutrition. She implemented a whole-food plant-based diet into her lifestyle, which she read has positive impacts on kidney health. Alton coaches the Buchholz High School Girls Basketball team, and Brenda enjoys going to the games to cheer the team on.

In early 2020, Brenda became trained as an ambassador for LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services, volunteering her time to educate the public about the life-saving importance of organ donation. She enjoys being able to share her story to inspire others to consider registering as organ donors.

“Organ donation saves lives,” Brenda said. “The myths have been passed from generation to generation. The truth has to be known, and that happens through education. Education is the only thing that will turn the tide – especially within the black community. Education is the key to making a difference.”

Daryl is also planning to become an ambassador, encouraging the community to consider living donation, too.

“I most definitely encourage people to be living donors,” Daryl said. “It’s a way of prolonging someone’s life. If you’re a perfect match, you almost have an obligation to do it. There’s such a need for kidney transplants, and it saves lives.”