For Penn State student Toya Woods, turning her tassel during graduation ceremonies this weekend will signify more than just the culmination of her college career.
Come Saturday, she will be able to donate her kidney to her mother, Darcel Minton-Woods -- a procedure Woods has been waiting to undergo since she was 15 years old.
Minton-Woods, who has two failed kidneys, told her daughter she had to wait until after graduation to donate.
"My mom just felt better about [it] that way. She wanted to wait until I graduated [because] at least it wasn't standing in the way of pursing my degree," Woods said.
Woods (senior-media studies) is scheduled for surgery on Sept. 20, about a month after she graduates.
The surgery to remove Woods' kidney will take about three hours, but she said she's not nervous about the procedure.
"I'm overwhelmed with excitement," Woods said. "I'm happy. I'll be giving her a better quality of life. She'll be able to do things she wanted to do. She'll be enjoying life."
Right now, Minton-Woods' life includes dialysis, which filters her blood to rid it of waste three times a week because of her failed kidneys.
She has been on dialysis since 1999, Minton-Woods said.
"It's tough, but she's strong," Woods said.
It will take about five hours for Minton-Woods to receive the kidney and her estimated recovery time will depend on how well she receives the organ.
"I'm very excited, and hopefully, things will turn out well, and I'll have a better life," Minton-Woods said.
Recovery time for Woods is estimated to take about six weeks.
Kidney donation is the most common and most in-demand of all organ donations, said Dwendy Johnson, satellite community coordinator for Gift of Life -- a program that helps coordinate organ transplants.
Of the 97,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ nationwide, 70,000 are waiting for kidneys, Johnson said.
Before Woods was eligible to donate her kidney, she had to undergo a slew of tests, including blood tests to make sure she and her mother have the same blood type.
When a donor and a recipient are from the same family, it's more likely they will have a perfect match, Johnson said.
"You have to go through numerous testings [and] numerous screenings to make sure you're healthy," Woods said. "They have to make sure that after you give the kidney, your life's not in danger."
Donors must be 21-years-old to be eligible to donate, but Woods, now 22, said she's known for a long time that she wanted to donate to her mother.
"I decided when I was about 15 that I wanted to donate my kidney to her," Woods said. "[My mother] would never let me do it because she [said I] was too young."
Woods, of New Rochelle, N.Y., transferred to Penn State as a junior and spent her two years on campus on the track team throwing shotput.
As she graduates this weekend, Woods said she is looking forward to the opportunity to give life back to her mother.
"I just feel like, to give life, everybody has the ability," she said.
Those interested in becoming an organ donor should visit www.donatelife-pa.org.
"There are 97,000 people that are waiting," Johnson said. "And they're waiting for life-saving organs."
