SEYMOUR, Tenn. — A 2-year-old boy in Seymour is waiting for his perfect match. After defying all odds at birth, he is now in desperate need of a kidney donor.
Finley Hickman is small but mighty. From the very beginning, his parents, Eric and Alyssa Hickman, knew he was a fighter.
Doctors didn't know if Finley would even survive birth, let alone make it to the toddler years.
"He was born at 31 weeks at two pounds, three ounces," Alyssa Hickman said. "He was very small."
His start to life was not an easy one, but he conquered every challenge thrown his way.
"He survived infections that no one thought he would survive, widespread meningitis type infections at a month old, at less than three pounds," Alyssa said. "Just lots of prayer and his strength and peace survived it all."
He spent 195 days in the NICU at two different hospitals. Doctors knew from the start his kidneys were causing problems.
"For whatever reason, things just didn't form right in the beginning, and it created this multifaceted, complex, perfect, little boy that defies odds," Alyssa said as Finley bounced on her knee.
Now, Finley is in desperate need of a perfect match for a kidney.
"I think most of all, we want the right kidney, though," Eric Hickman said.
"We've always prayed because we both got denied as donors very early on," Alyssa said. "But, we were never praying for one of us to be the donor. We were always praying that God would get Finley his kidney, but it would be the kidney that he had prepared for him."
That faith and support from the community are what get them through the days of waiting.
"I can't imagine a kid more fitting for a kidney than this sweet little I know, this sweet little boy right here," Alyssa said.
Ideally, they want Finley's new kidney to come from a living donor. They know that takes sacrifice, but it would be a life-saving gift.
"Please save our son," Alyssa said. "Ultimately, I mean, we just want him happy and healthy and alive, and a kidney donor can literally save his life."
The testing is through Vanderbilt and the Hickman's insurance pays for the process.
To get tested and see if you're a match, you must be 18 to 55 years old, with O+ or O- blood.
You cannot have diabetes, high blood pressure or a history of kidney stones.
You must have a BMI of 30 or less and be able to take off work for up to six weeks to recover after donation.
If you are a match, you then go for a big round of more in-depth testing to see if you could be a donor.
They have no doubts Finley's donor is out there. They understand the kidney may have to come from a deceased donor but would prefer the live donor route.
"He'll get a kidney, he will," Alyssa said. "We know that God will get him a kidney, we've always had peace about his life and his future, and even when many people didn't think he would survive, we always had peace about Finley."
Until then, they will wait for the day a donor can make him whole.
Click the link here for the donor eligibility test.