Since November of 2023, Deven Wilson and his family have been waiting for a miracle. Deven had fallen sick and was eventually diagnosed with GPA Vasculitis, an autoimmune disorder that affects the lungs, kidneys, and sinuses. After additional testing, he was also diagnosed with aHUS, which causes blood clots in the body’s smallest blood vessels that can lead to organ damage. Since his diagnosis, Deven has been through countless tests, treatments and doctor visits. While some of it worked, what Deven really needed was a kidney transplant, as his started to fail him due to his illnesses.
“This was the scariest time of our lives. Everything was happening all at once to him and it seemed like anything that could go wrong was. He had seizures, colitis, pancreatitis, extremely high bps, fluid in lung and so much more. But somehow, he kept pushing forward and fighting. His strength was and is unbelievably amazing!” said Tina Wilson, Deven’s mother.
Deven’s perseverance did not go unnoticed by the people around him, it was inspiring. People from all over the world started sending their prayers and spreading Deven’s incredible story. The Wilson family even started a website called “Deven Needs A Donor” (https://devenneedsadonor.com) to help share his story and get more people to see if they were a match to be a donor for Deven.
After several months, multiple news stories, hundreds of tests, constant determination and support, everyone’s prayers had been answered. On Sunday, February 15th, 2026, the Wilsons got a call that there was a kidney ready for Deven.
“My dad just came and knocked on my door. I saw he was on the phone and it just popped into my head that that’s what it was. I could just see it on his face,” Deven said, “I didn’t know how to react, I was kind of all over the place.”
After the family got the call around 9:00pm that night, they rushed to the hospital. At 12:00am, Deven did his last session of dialysis which took a few hours. By 7:00am, Deven was getting prepped for surgery.
“We kissed and hugged and told him we loved him. Then we went back to the room and we just waited for the news.” Mrs. Wilson said.
“I was kind of nervous but I just told them to knock me out because I didn’t want to think about it”. Deven said when talking about the prepping process.
Thankfully, the transplant was a success. He had to spend a few days in the ICU and after he was discharged, Deven had to be extremely careful as he was more susceptible to getting sick. More recently though, Deven has been allowed to get back to his “normal life”. He no longer has to do dialysis 3 times a week and no longer has to worry about trying to find more treatments that work.
“It’s pretty weird, I mean it is definitely setting in more. But it is nice because my weeks are shorter now, the appointments are more spread out now. It’s nice to be able to have that sense of normal again.” Deven stated.
For Shaler Area High School Boy Volleyball’s Senior Night, Deven was able to participate and even got to play for the first time since his diagnosis in 2023. Then on Wednesday night, May 20, he witnessed his team win the WPIAL Class 2A Championship match at Peters Township High School. This marks their fourth consecutive He was also able to attend the high school’s senior dinner and will finish up his senior year with prom and graduation. Not only has Deven been allowed to participate in more activities, he was also able to attend the National Kidney Foundation Gala, an annual fundraising and awareness event hosted by the nonprofit organization that is dedicated to eliminating preventable kidney diseases and spreading awareness for organ donors.
“We got the offer before he even got the transplant, so we were sort of hesitant on whether or not he was going to do it or not. But he wanted to do it and he did so good. It was surprising how well he spoke up there and how inspirational he was.” Robb Wilson, Deven’s father, said, “It was only 3 weeks after his transplant too. I was very proud of him, he was so amazing.”
Although the transplant has helped tremendously, this isn’t the end of Deven’s battle. He will still have to go through hospital visits, take multiple medications, and maybe even have another transplant in the future. Deven received the donation from a deceased donor. The difference between receiving a living versus a deceased donor varies. An average living kidney donor lasts 15 to 20 years, while a deceased lasts 10 to 15.
“Everyday I am reminded of the second chance he has been given. Everyday I appreciate and give thanks to the donor and the donor family. However, the transplant is not a cure but a treatment. Deven is not out of the woods, life is just different. It is better now and for that I am forever grateful.” Mrs. Wilson stated.
Even though Deven is doing better, he still has a long way to go. He plans to attend a police academy to achieve his dream of being a police officer in the future, but he will need to wait for a while until he becomes stronger. His perseverance and strength have been, and still are, inspiring to so many people.
