OHIO — For 18 years, Tanya Watters sat next to her daughter, Whitney, during her dialysis treatments.

What You Need To Know

  • The annual National Kidney Foundation Kidney Walk is coming up in Cleveland on Sunday, June 11
  • The event begins at 8 a.m. at the Great Lakes Science Center and around 1,000 people are expected to attend

“I’m honored to be Whitney’s mom," she said. "She was an amazing young lady who fought to live.”

Now, Watters is on the other side, working as a certified dialysis technician.

“I love, love, love, love, love what I do," Watters said.

Whitney was born with VATER Syndrome which is a series of birth defects. A rare condition caused some of her organs to be outside of her body at birth.

“My daughter had about 42 illnesses that she was diagnosed with," Watters said. “They said that Whitney wouldn’t live to see two-years-old.”

But she beat the odds, living until she was 20 years old.

She had several health challenges like spina bifida, hydrocephalus and end stage renal disease. She started dialysis at 2-years-old and died in April 2020.

“One of the saddest days of my life to lose my daughter, to lose my baby," said Watters.

But that pain fueled her desire to earn a certification to work with dialysis patients. 

“And this is where I belong, right here in the dialysis world," she said.

Watters is also a motivational speaker and author of a book about her daughter’s life called “Whitney’s Purple Walker.”

“And this is my purpose, and I’m walking in my purpose," she said.

Her job with Concerto Renal Services at Timberland Ridge Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation in Fairlawn has helped give her life meaning after two decades of serving as a caregiver. Watters has plans to further her education.

“I do want to go back to nursing school because taking care of my daughter, I had to put my life on hold because her care was more important to me," she said.

Watters said she feels her daughter’s presence every day and is proud to help others in her memory.

“I know she’s smiling down on me and just rooting me on, you know, because this is what her mom did for her, you know what I’m saying? So, now that I’m able to do it for somebody else, but I know she’s so happy for me. I know she is," Watters said.

Watters will serve as the mission speaker at the annual National Kidney Foundation Kidney Walk coming up in Cleveland on Sunday, June 11. The event begins at 8 a.m. at the Great Lakes Science Center, and around 1,000 people are expected to attend. 

Each step helps raise money for patient programs, research and legislative change.