Audra Eaker had planned to be a donor for her son, Kincaid, when a gruesome act of violence took her life — robbing the boy of not only his mother, but also the new kidney he so desperately needs. It happened in December, 2016, as Audra was on her way home from a Christmas party when her husband, Darrell, shot her inside their car. Darrell has since been sentenced to life in prison for the crime, but Kincaid, who is now 13, is still scrambling to find a kidney donor who can help save him.
Audra always knew she wanted to donate her kidney to her son -- the question was only a matter of when.
According to Patch, Kincaid was born with polycystic kidney disease, a chronic genetic condition where cysts develop in the kidneys and interfere with their ability to filter waste. On a GoFundMe page created to raise money for Kincaid's medical bills, Audra's best friend Brandy Love shared that Audra had lost two other boys to the disease before Kincaid was even born.
"Audra was tested early and knew she was the one that was going to be the donor for her son," Love continued. "She knew that there was no question where her son was getting that kidney from. It was coming from her."
As it turned out, Kincaid didn't need the kidney just yet, but eventually the time would come when he did. Audra took comfort in at least knowing she was a match.
Over the years, Kincaid was able to not just survive, but thrive with the help of medication. But when his mother's murder came in 2016, his situation became much more dire.
Audra was killed on December 27, 2016, barely 15 minutes after the couple left Love's Christmas party.
Darrell shot at his wife with a .45 caliber pistol while she was driving. The bullets hit her in the face and head. According to a warrant obtained by the police in Woodstock, Georgia, he then dropped the firearm inside the car and walked away "without even attempting life-saving actions."
Audra's body was later found inside their 2011 Ford Edge, which had come to a rest at an intersection in front of a convenience store. Woodstock police spokesperson Brittany Duncan told Patch shortly after the murder that the couple's relationship status was in flux, and that they were "married, but separated."
Darrell was ultimately convicted of Audra's murder in 2018, and was sentenced to life plus 16 years.
Audra's death was heartbreaking in and of itself, but considering Kincaid's prognosis, it was especially grim.
Just two days after his mother's death and his father's incarceration, the boy came to a terrifying realization: Who would be his donor now?
The boy and his sister, Olivia, soon moved in with his grandparents in Tennessee, where they continued to mourn the loss of their mother. But her death has continued to have ripple effects in so many areas of their lives — especially now, as it's become clear that Kincaid needs a new kidney.
"To look at him, you would not even realize he is sick," Love wrote in her GoFundMe campaign. "Kincaid plays the saxophone and is on the swim team, but he is only functioning on 14 percent of his kidneys. Fortunately, medication through his life has kept him stable. We hoped it would be several more years."
According to Love, he is now on the transplant waiting list and doctors are hoping he won't have to wait long.
"[They] are talking in the very near future for the transplant, actually talking this Christmas, if we can get a donor," she continued.
If all goes well and a match is found, the now 13-year-old will travel to Atlanta to have the transplant performed.
"I feel that with the passing of my best friend this is what I can do to honor her life," Love explained. "For those who knew her, she was a strong, beautiful woman that loved her children fiercely and stood up for them and herself as much as she could."
Love also described Olivia as being "the ultimate protector of her little brother."
"They are extremely close, but she worries that she will lose her brother now," Love continued. "I would like to bring some joy to her life, to both of them anyway that I can."
It's for that reason that Love is now making a public plea, asking for any volunteers who might be a match to donate a kidney to Kincaid. So far, the campaign has raised over $17,000 to help pay for the boy's medical fees and users can be redirected to the Emory Transplant Center's website if they would like to see if they're a match.
"I know Audra, their fierce protector and her purpose, keeps an eye on them," Love wrote of her friend who passed. "I feel it."
