By RICK WEBER
CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

A mother’s worst nightmare comes when the doctor gives this invitation to her daughter’s friends: “This might be the time to go into ICU and say your goodbyes.”

Melody Bolin heard the doctor give that invitation. Tory Bolin heard her friends say their goodbyes.

These days, that September 2008 morning seems like it happened a decade ago. Tory is very much alive.

“She’s doing remarkably well,” Melody said. “She’s gotten her driver’s license and is getting back out and getting her life back. It’s 180 degrees difference from this time last year. We just feel very, very blessed.

“It’s nice to hear her say, “I want to go here’ or ‘I want to do this.’ She spent so long to get to this point, so we’re all willing to go. I’d say now that she’s a typical 16-year-old girl. That is good. All the things you never thought you’d be grateful for … it’s amazing how you’re grateful for them.”

Tory is dedicated to helping those who befriended her in the dialysis unit at Texas Children’s Hospital on the road to her recovery — people who, unlike her, may be on dialysis the rest of their lives because they’re incapable of having a kidney transplant, as she did on Oct. 27, 2009.

Tory’s longtime friend, Paige Hegedus, a sophomore at Cinco Ranch High School, has spearheaded “Tory’s Triumph: Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” a fundraiser set for 9 a.m. April 17 at the high school. All proceeds from the event, hosted by the school’s Class of 2012, will go toward improving the facilities at the dialysis unit. The goal is to raise at least $10,000 for a new chair.

“I just don’t think most people think about kids being on dialysis,” Melody said. “I don’t, and I’m a nurse. We had a child fighting an autoimmune disease, but never in a million years thought she’d end up on dialysis. It’s the same story with the other kids in there. Without warning, they were diagnosed with kidney failure. Sometimes they’re able to get off of it and their kidneys retain function. But the vast majority have to stay on some kind of dialysis, either hemodialysis in a clinic setting at the hospital or peritoneal dialysis at home.”

Hegedus, Tory’s best friend since their days as fifth-graders at Williams Elementary, said she received the inspiration to organize the walkathon through hearing Tory’s stories about the treatments she received at Texas Children’s and the kids she met there.

“It stuck with me,” Hegedus said. “I thought, ‘I can do something about it.’ I wanted to help. I knew they needed chairs. I knew this was one way to get the community involved. It sounded like it would work and benefit them to the fullest if we got people to come out and donate. I thought of other fundraising ideas, but it most likely would be a product no one wants. If you do something like this, it really brings people out and really opens their eyes.

“I think it’s going to be a fun day, but I would say kind of emotional, too, because people are going to hear her story. Not many think of a child having a kidney failure. I think eyes are going to be opened. I’m hoping it will be a very memorable day.”

Tory’s story starts as an infant, when she was diagnosed with an unidentified autoimmune disease, shared by her father, Tommy Bolin, executive pastor at The Fellowship at Cinco Ranch, and several others on his side of the family. Tory experienced pulmonary fibrosis of the lungs, but doctors managed to keep it controlled. Her brothers had suffered pulmonary hemorrhages, but she never had.

But in April 2008, Tory was pale, lethargic and short of breath, and she went into Texas Children’s for X-rays and later a bronchoscopy. With tears in his eyes, her pulmonologist, Dr. Leland Fan, said that she had suffered a major hemorrhage, and because her kidney function was so poor, he suspected they were hemorrhaging. He told the Bolins that night he didn’t know whether Tory would make it or not.

After a biopsy of the kidneys, she was treated with high-dose steroids and chemotherapy, stopping the hemorrhage. She modified her diet and her kidneys were monitored, but they never recovered. In August 2008, she suffered complete kidney failure and was placed on dialysis.

Tory attended Cinco Ranch’s homecoming dance the next month, but woke up at 2 a.m. with a massive headache. As they put her in the car to go to Texas Children’s, seizures gripped her body. She was having a major hemorrhagic stroke.

Later that morning, Dr. Daniel Feig said Tory had an estimated 1½ cups of blood on her brain and asked the Bolins what kind of life-support measures they wanted.

“He said every five minutes we had was a good five minutes,” Melody said. “They didn’t expect her to make it through the day. They let Paige and couple of good friends come back into ICU and tell her goodbye. But God had other plans for her.”

Tory miraculously recovered completely with no residual effects, but continued on dialysis for several months. By last summer, she had gained enough weight to be evaluated for a transplant. Melody found out she was a match to be the donor.

An attempted transplant in September was aborted because of Tory’s high blood pressure, but she had a successful transplant on Oct. 27.

“I know we wouldn’t have made it through without our faith,” Tory said.

Melody said that Jerry Edmonson, lead pastor at The Fellowship at Cinco Ranch, had given a few sermons about the importance of the church being a family. And that’s exactly what happened. Church members fed them, washed their clothes and prayed for them during those times when they felt they couldn’t even do it for themselves.

Now the Bolins want to be family for those who call the dialysis unit their home.

“Tory’s grateful not to have to go anymore, but she still keeps in touch with several kids, and I do the same with parents,” Melody said. “We don’t forget what a hard time it was. For Paige to do this and help make it better for those kids means a lot. Tory’s heart still very much goes out to the friends she knows in dialysis. It’s such a hard, hard road in life to lead.”

WANT TO HELP?

What: Tory’s Triumph: Walk a Mile in My Shoes, sponsored by the Class of 2012 to benefit Texas Children’s Hospital Dialysis Unit

When: 9 a.m. April 17

Where: The stadium at Cinco Ranch High School, 23420 Cinco Ranch Blvd.

Proceeds: To improve dialysis facilities including comfortable chairs for patients undergoing treatment and much needed medical supplies.

Inspired by: Former Cinco Ranch High School classmate Tory Bolin. Tory had a kidney transplant on Oct. 27, 2009 and was a patient at the TCH-Dialysis Unit.

Goal: $10,000

Details: e-mail lorirobinson@katyisd.org or call 281-237-7080