Riverside County sheriff’s deputy plans to donate kidney to former coworker’s son

A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy with the Palm Desert Station is donating a kidney to her former coworker’s 3 year old son.

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The sheriff’s department shared the happy story with KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 on Friday, as the families prepare for the transplant procedure:

Deputy Alicia Lopez and former Deputy Angelina Castleberry met while working together at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. While still working, Angelina became pregnant with twins. At 17 weeks into her pregnancy, she learned that one of her twins, Matthew, had been diagnosed with Posterior Urethral Valves, which is the tube that drains urine from the bladder to the outside of the body for elimination.

This was causing his bladder to be full of urine and damaging both his bladder and kidneys. During the 23rd week, Matthew had little to almost no amniotic fluid and doctors advised Angelina and her husband Matthew Sr. that little Matthew was not going to survive.

After 2 unsuccessful procedures attempting to drain Matthew’s bladder, doctors did not believe any procedure would help because of the risk to his healthy twin sister

At 31 weeks, an emergency c-section was preformed due to placental abruption. Miracle twins, Matthew Cross & Callia Faith Castleberry were born on July 1, 2014. Matthew was born first, weighing 5 lbs, 2oz and his sister Callia weighed 3 lbs, 12 oz. Callia was discharged from the NICU at 8 weeks old. Matthew, on the other hand, still had a long road ahead. He was born with pulmonary hypertension, bleeding in his brain, fluid in his brain, kidney failure, and collapsed lungs. The Castleberry’s were even told that Matthew would not survive, and doctors put together a care plan for him.

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