Here is an outline of the provided HTML code:Here is an outline of the provided HTML code: 1. Opening paragraph: – Begins with an image. – Contains the story of Christine Law, who donated a kidney to Jerome Skinner in 2016. – Mentions how the two became “like family” after the transplant. 2. Second paragraph: – Contains a quote from Christine Law about her motivation for donating a kidney. – Explains how she believes it was a “calling” from God. – Mentions how she has overcome alcohol addiction and wants to share her story to help others. 3. Third paragraph: – Provides a brief overview of Jerome Skinner’s story. – Mentions his diagnosis of kidney failure in 2014 and his year on dialysis. – Quotes Skinner expressing his feelings about his health challenges. 4. Fourth paragraph: – States the date of the kidney transplant between Christine Law and Jerome Skinner. – Mentions Skinner’s age at the time of the transplant. 5. Fifth paragraph: – Begins with a statement from Christine Law about her belief that becoming an organ donor was a calling. – Explains how she has used her platform to share her story of overcoming addiction and organ donation. 6. Sixth paragraph: – Provides additional information about Christine Law’s recovery from alcohol addiction. – Mentions her book “10 Years in A Bottle,” her work as a certified trainer, and her opening of a gym in Bessemer to help people with their health and wellness. 7. Seventh paragraph: – Explains how Christine Law believes sharing her story can raise awareness about organ donation and save lives. 8. Eighth paragraph: – Provides a link to the Transplant Games of America website. 9. Ninth paragraph: – Includes a social sharing widget. 10. Tenth paragraph: – Contains a list of similar articles.
Christine Law donated a kidney to Jerome Skinner on December 27, 2016. (Provided)
By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
Christine Law, a war veteran, author, model, owner of her own gym in Bessemer and in recovery from alcohol addiction, remembers surfing Facebook nearly seven years ago when she came across a post from Jerome Skinner, a fellow church member at Faith Chapel in Birmingham.
Law had abused alcohol for ten years before she prayed for help, and through her faith, prayer and action, she says she was “delivered” from alcohol. Because God had spared her life, Law believed she could be a “life-changing blessing” to someone in need.
“I saw (members) praying for a kidney (for Jerome) … so I reached out,” she said.
After five months and many extensive tests, Law was found to be a perfect match. “After that, we became like family. We started going to each other’s events and family gatherings. (Skinner) became like a brother to me,” she said.
Their story is one of many being shared as Birmingham hosts the 2024 Transplant Games, held biennially since their inception in 1990 to celebrate and encourage transplant survivors.
The games bring together survivors, their families and medical professionals for a five-day event featuring more than 20 sports, while also raising awareness about the disease through donors and recipients like Law and Skinner.
“I am so excited that the world can now see that Birmingham, Alabama, is paying attention to transplantation and organ donation,” said Law.
The Story of Jerome
Skinner, a Birmingham native and Ensley High School alum, was first diagnosed with kidney failure in 2014 at age 36.
“It started with doctors telling me I had too much protein in my urine. I went to a kidney specialist and he told me to cut back on protein shakes and focus on eating normal foods, so I did,” he said.
After checking his protein, he became a patient of a former high school friend who was a doctor, Dr. Jamie Bell. “The first thing she told me was that my blood pressure was pretty high and she gave me some medication.”
During a casting call for one of Tyler Perry’s films in Atlanta, Skinner was told he was in kidney failure.
Dr. Bell left a message telling him to go to the nearest hospital. His year on dialysis had been difficult, he said,
“I remember hearing the nurses tell my family and the girl I was talking to that everything was deteriorating rapidly. Just hearing that made all sorts of thoughts start going through my head. I thought I wasn’t going to live much longer. (And then) when you’re used to doing things yourself and now you need help with almost everything because you’re so weak and vulnerable, you’re dependent on people, it’s quite hard when people aren’t used to helping you with that. It made me feel worse.”
On December 27, 2016, just two days after Christmas, Skinner, now 43, received the gift of life: a kidney from Law.
A calling
Law, 42, believes becoming an organ donor was a calling. “God spoke to me and said, ‘You are his donor.’ I prayed about it and then I did it,” she said.
“After 10 years of alcohol abuse … I should have been the one needing an organ, the way I was. It’s easy for people to say you don’t look like what you went through. It’s more of a testimony than just saying, ‘I gave away a kidney.’ For me, it’s deeper than that, it’s about overcoming the challenges in my life and then being able to bless someone else’s life.”
Law, who is recovering from alcohol addiction, has shared her story of how she overcame the disease in different ways.
“I overcame that and decided to not only publish my book ‘10 Years in A Bottle’ in 2019, which shares my journey to help others, but I also went so far as to become a certified trainer. I opened my own gym in March of 2022 at 4200 Bessemer Super Highway in Bessemer (to) help people take control of their health and wellness, and I wanted to be able to tap into the community.”
By sharing her experiences, Law believes she will “raise awareness around (organ donation) and save lives.”
For more information about the Transplant Games of America, visit: https://www.transplantgamesofamerica.org/
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