'I just do stuff that makes me happy:' Boy, 9, in search of new kidney

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- In the United States, more than 9,000 children and adolescents have kidney failure or end-stage renal disease, relying on life-saving dialysis or a kidney transplant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Bentlee Davis is a nine-year-old boy who just wants to have fun and be a normal kid. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him because of how happy he is, but at 7 years old, he was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease.

“He's crazy. He's rambunctious. He is loving, he's caring,” Candice Winans, Bentlee’s mother, said.

Those are the words Candice and Nick used to describe their son, Bentlee, who was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease two years ago. 

“He has 8% kidney function in both kidneys,” Winans said.

When he was first diagnosed, he spent three weeks in the hospital. Since then, every night for nine hours a night, he’s on dialysis and following a strict diet. Because of this, it’s tough to be a normal child.

“He definitely has his moments,” his father Nick Davis said. “You know, I’ve heard him multiple times say he hates kidney failure. It’s just tough.”

Both Bentlee and his sister, Dalyla, cannot wait for him to get a kidney so they can continue dancing and riding BMX.

“It would make me really, really happy because he can do stuff that he couldn't do and he could stay the night at his friend’s house,” Dalyla said. 

“I just would like to be able to stay the night at people's houses, which I was never able to do,” Bentlee said. “I just do stuff that makes me happy, which would make me forget about all the bad things.”

If you’ve ever driven around Newark, you may have noticed a few billboards, asking for help getting Bentlee a kidney. His father said that they’re all across the country. He’s already gotten over a dozen calls from complete strangers wanting to help. 

“It's just a lot and it means a lot,” Winans said.

Bentlee isn’t the only one waiting for a kidney. Nearly 100,000 people in the country (children and adults) are waiting for a kidney transplant. 

“A living kidney would be our best option. I'm grateful for either one,” Winans said.

“Sometimes it's tough, but I just have to keep my head up for the Bentley and just keep on going,” Davis said.

According to OSU Wexner Medical Center, for those with end-stage kidney disease, a kidney transplant is the preferred treatment option.

The best and fastest option for kidney transplant is to receive a kidney from a living donor. 
If anyone would like to learn more about living donations and how it works, click here.