The Fayetteville Observer, N.C., Kim Hasty column: Mother, daughter bond strong

May 11, 2008 (The Fayetteville Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- -- Kimberly Hulon can't make it home today for Mother's Day. Distance and a new job are keeping her away. She mailed cards to both her mother, Joan, and her sister, Sherri, and she'll call home to convey her feelings over the long-distance lines.

But this is a mother and daughter whose relationship was never measured in store-bought sentiments or fancy flower arrangements.

The fact that they won't be together today takes nothing away from their strong bond. Reading good books together. Gardening in the good soil. Measuring and stirring together in the kitchen. Those are things that Joan Hulon invested in her girls when they were growing up. They are the things that endure.

"I couldn't imagine anyone loving anyone more than my mother loves me,'' Kimberly said.

And that's why, really, there was no decision to make in the days preceding Mother's Day five years ago.

Joan Hulon had battled health problems for as long as her daughter could remember. But they didn't keep her from living a full life. She and Sherwood Hulon surrounded their girls with good, country-style living.

Kimberly graduated from South View High School in 1990. Along the way, she fell in love with water, boats and coastal living, so she spent most of her years as a young adult in North Carolina beach towns.

Five years ago, on one of her visits back home, she realized her mother's health problems had worsened. Doctors had told Joan Hulon that it was time she either started dialysis treatments or had a kidney transplant.

"I just had a feeling I would be a good fit,'' Kimberly said.

Today marks the fifth anniversary of an unforgettable Mother's Day gift of life. Kimberly donated one of her own kidneys to her mother. They spent Mother's Day in 2003 at Duke University Medical Center, with Kimberly padding down the hall to check on her mother the day after both of their operations.

They have both recovered completely. Kimberly said she feels no effects at all from her surgery, and her mother is doing fine, possibly feeling as good as she ever has in her entire life.

Kimberly is indulging herself in her dream job in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. After spending years in technology sales, she went back to college to earn an interior-design degree and now refits yachts.

Friday, she was thinking about her mom.

"I just want to tell her she is the, well, I don't want to use the word 'best,' because that's too generic,'' she said. "I just want to thank her for all the years of love and support. She's the most unselfish, selfless person. And I want to say Happy Transplant Day ... and Happy Mother's Day.''

Community News editor Kim Hasty can be reached at hastyk@fayobserver.com or 323-4848, ext. 478.

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