CLARKSDALE, Miss. — A kidney transplant recipient returned to a Clarksdale dialysis clinic this week to offer encouragement and support to patients undergoing treatment.
Evelyn Henry, a Shaw native diagnosed with end-stage renal failure at age 35, visited Fresenius Medical Care to share her story of faith, resilience and recovery following her October 2024 transplant.
Dr. Tracey Mims, a social worker at the clinic, said Henry’s visit provided meaningful peer support.
“To have Ms. Henry to stop by is definitely motivating for the patients,” Mims said. “To see someone that is actually going through the transplantation process is definitely beneficial for them and it serves as a motivating piece.”
Henry said she was well into her career as a program director at a community action agency when she received her diagnosis. Facing intensive treatments, she made the decision to resign and launch her own business serving elderly and disabled clients, allowing her flexibility to manage her health.
She underwent home dialysis for several years before receiving a transplant call on Oct. 6, 2024, during her sister Pam Chatman’s birthday celebration.
“In October 2024, I received a call and I had my surgery on October 7th,” Henry said. “That Thursday I was at home.”
Henry said she has not required dialysis or hospital readmission since the transplant.
She now plans to partner with the Mississippi Kidney Foundation and the National Kidney Foundation to advocate for kidney patients locally, statewide and nationally.
“Just because you received a diagnosis doesn’t mean you have to just live it and let it take you to a place,” Henry said. “Let them use me any way to encourage somebody else.”
Clinic staff said Henry also donated supply bags and food items for patients during her visit.
Mims said the empowerment piece is critical for individuals who often face ongoing medical and social challenges.
“Oftentimes, the patients dealing with so many health-related social needs, they just need that extra push,” she said.
Henry said her message to dialysis patients is simple: keep going.
“This is our journey and we have to walk by faith,” she said.
