'What a great gift': How Oklahoma State long jumper Sanye Ford is giving her mom new life
STILLWATER — Sanye Ford long ago lost count of the procedures.
She filled what seems like an endless amount of vials with blood. There were urine collections, CT scans, X-rays and EKGs. She underwent several stress tests.
“I can’t even tell you how many,” Oklahoma State’s senior long jumper said.
The tally was ultimately unimportant. The reasoning for each test was everything.
Ford’s mom, Rhonda, has Stage IV kidney disease. She needs a new kidney.
“I need my mom around,” Ford said.
To make sure that happens, Ford has volunteered to donate a kidney as part of a paired exchange, a program that allows donors who are not compatible to match with another recipient in a swap.
Ford’s kidney will go to an anonymous recipient and her mom will receive a kidney from an anonymous donor.
More: New Oklahoma State football uniforms feature a nod to Barry Sanders' era with OSU Cowboys
It’s a chance to help save two lives.
“That’s the type of person Sanye is,” Rhonda said. “She takes care of everybody.”
That makes this weekend extra special.
Sanye Ford’s college career featured a pandemic that nearly wrecked everything. She dealt with injuries. She even cut her final season short this spring in anticipation of the surgery.
Ford did not compete in this weekend’s Big 12 outdoor championships. Instead, she walked across the Gallagher-Iba Arena stage during graduation Saturday with every reason to celebrate. She will receive a college diploma with Rhonda in attendance just a day before Mother’s Day.
“It just proves personally I did it,” Sanye said. “It’s like the last step. I battled COVID, I battled injury and then this. It’s like the ‘ah-hah’ moment. It means a lot because I think my college career has been unconventional, to say the least.
“This is the one thing that is going to go to plan.”
And the family has a future together.
“I think this (Mother’s Day) will be a little more special,” Sanye added. “I’m thankful for her every day, regardless.”
More: Transfer portal turnover is high across Big 12 basketball. Here's what to make of it.
From Frisco to Stillwater
Sanye and Rhonda were often inseparable.
Rhonda rarely missed Sanye’s volleyball tournaments around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and elsewhere. When Sanye picked up track in the eighth grade, Rhonda never missed a meet.
Even when things were hard.
As a freshman in the area track meet, Sanye competed in long jump that morning. She then drove to downtown Dallas for a volleyball match before driving back to the meet for relays.
“I remember thinking this was crazy,” Sanye said. “I gotta pick one.”
Track won out.
As a senior at Liberty High in Frisco, Texas, Sanye initially committed to Wichita State. But then she visited OSU and fell in love.
She signed with the Cowgirls.
After a promising start to her career, the COVID-19 pandemic halted her freshman season in the spring. She hit a personal record jump the next season, but she then suffered a season-ending injury.
More: Why former Oklahoma State football player Lenzy Pipkins decided to write a children's book
But the kicker was in January 2022.
Rhonda was struggling to not vomit up her food each time she’d eat. A trip to the emergency room unveiled an obstruction that required surgery. But it also uncovered kidney issues.
She had lost 85% of function in one kidney.
“It was very, very scary,” said Rhonda, who also instantly thought of the dialysis her father underwent with his kidney issues.
As she lay in her hospital bed for eight days, she contemplated how to tell her children. Sanye would take it hard and Rhonda wanted to have more answers for her.
She finally delivered the news.
Sanye’s instant reaction was to help her mom.
“When I found out, I was genuinely shocked because you can’t tell from the outside,” Sanye said. “I think that was the biggest thing. This is my mom. There’s no question about it.”
Tramel's ScissorTales: NFL Draft shows Oklahoma State football recruiting needs an upgrade
'Forever in debt to her'
Sanye and her father, Donald, underwent testing to become a donor, despite Rhonda’s objections. Neither of their blood types matched.
They then learned of paired donations.
Sanye could donate her kidney to another person, whose donor would then donate a kidney to Rhonda. The Fords became part of a three-way paired donation.
As Sanye underwent test after test, procedure after procedure to make sure she was a viable donor last summer, she decided this track season would be her last. She would not use her extra year of eligibility.
She only told a select few people — including her roommates and teammates Hannah Bradford and Erin Talbott — what was happening behind the scenes. She finally told the entire Cowgirls team last semester.
“There were days it got to me pretty bad,” Sanye said. “I had so much going on. I felt like I had not enough time, not enough energy to handle it all.
“Mentally, it was an uphill battle. I had to really check in on myself. I don’t ask for help often. It was hard but my support system was wonderful. That made it super easy.”
But Rhonda’s condition also never worsened. She never needed dialysis.
So, it was a relief when they got the phone call that the kidney transplant was set for the end of April. Sanye set her last meet for April 14-15 in the Sooner Invitational. She competed in the long jump and 400 relay.
She walked away with her head held high.
“My mom my whole life has made so many sacrifices, whether it’s time, energy, money, whatever,” Sanye said. “I can never repay her for everything but this is the closest I could get to it.
“I’m forever in debt to her for everything she’s done.”
More: Transfer portal turnover is high across Big 12 basketball. Here's what to make of it.
Less than 72 hours before the surgery, it was ultimately delayed due to an undisclosed issue with someone else involved in the paired transplant.
That only brought more anxiety. But also a small blessing.
Rhonda is able to attend graduation this weekend. Had the surgery happened, she would have been forced to stay in Frisco.
“If I had to pull something positive from this, that would be it,” Rhonda said. “I was really stressed about having to miss my first child graduating from college.”
And Mother’s Day got even sweeter.
A daughter will soon extend the life of her mother.
“I’m super proud,” Rhonda said. “I’ll probably get really emotional because she’s graduating college, doing this for me and it’s Mother’s Day.
“What a great gift.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State long jumper Sanye Ford is donating her kidney to her mom
