{"id":321772,"date":"2026-06-04T00:55:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T00:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/321772\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T00:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T00:55:19","slug":"north-texas-teen-thrives-after-lifesaving-kidney-donation-from-his-father-weve-always-had-a-special-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/321772\/","title":{"rendered":"North Texas teen thrives after lifesaving kidney donation from his father: “We’ve always had a special bond”"},"content":{"rendered":"

A North Texas<\/a> teenager’s busy life came to a sudden stop after experiencing kidney failure at just 17 years old. He spent 12 hours a day on dialysis and needed a transplant. His story became one of love and sacrifice from someone close to home.<\/p>\n

\"dawn.png<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Bill Martens<\/p>\n

The relationship between Blake Martens and his dad, Bill, remains unbreakable.<\/p>\n

“We’ve always had a special bond. He’s someone I look up to,” Blake Martens said.<\/p>\n

That bond grew even stronger through difficult times. Doctors diagnosed Blake at seven months old with multicystic dysplastic kidney, a condition in which the kidney does not develop normally in the womb.<\/p>\n

“We had that removed when he was one year old. The belief and expectation was that he was fine,” Bill Martens said.<\/p>\n

A sudden health crisis at 17<\/p>\n

Blake lived a normal childhood with one kidney and started playing lacrosse at six years old. It quickly became his passion. But at 17, everything changed.<\/p>\n

“I went into end-stage renal failure. All of a sudden, we didn’t know anything. We didn’t have a diagnosis, so it’s definitely shocking and something I didn’t expect. It was a big turnaround for me in life,” Blake Martens said.<\/p>\n

The diagnosis was Alport Syndrome, a rare genetic disease passed on from his mother.<\/p>\n

“I remember just simply walking into the hospital room and getting a diagnosis and just feeling absolutely gutted,” Bill Martens said.<\/p>\n

A father steps forward to save his son<\/p>\n

Bill knew what he needed to do.<\/p>\n

“I knew the best way I can help is to be the donor,” he said.<\/p>\n

Bill donated a kidney at UT Southwestern, and the medical team at Children’s Health performed the transplant.<\/p>\n

“I remember feeling a part of me is gone with kidney removed from me. That’s now in my son. It’s amazing. It’s a remarkable experience. You’re saving someone’s life,” Bill Martens said.<\/p>\n

A return to the field and a future ahead<\/p>\n

“I was back running in about two months, rebuilding my core strength. I got to play my entire senior lacrosse season, and they put me as a captain on the team,” Blake Martens said.<\/p>\n

From high school lacrosse captain to preparing to attend Southern Methodist University in August, Blake feels ready for what comes next thanks to his father’s sacrifice.<\/p>\n

Blake plans to continue playing lacrosse at SMU. He takes daily medication to ensure his body does not reject his dad’s kidney.<\/p>\n

“It’s definitely cool that he was able to give me the gift of life, and that’s something that I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life,” he said.<\/p>\n

Blake now looks forward to living life to the fullest, strengthened by a father’s love and a bond that connects them not just emotionally, but physically as well.<\/p>\n

\n More from CBS News\n <\/p>\n

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