Ambrealle Brown, 34, was forced to pause her nursing ambitions in 2016 after being diagnosed with a rare kidney disease that eventually left her in need of dialysis or a transplant.
Unbeknownst to her, Brown’s mother, Nija Butler, 48, underwent donor testing—despite prior indications she might not be a match. To the family’s surprise, she was. In March 2023, the pair underwent surgery at Tulane University School of Medicine, where doctors performed Louisiana’s first robotic kidney transplant.
Following the successful procedure, the mother-daughter duo enrolled together at the Baton Rouge General School of Nursing. In April, they graduated side by side.
Brown has accepted a position in a burn intensive care unit. Butler, already working in the field, continues her career at a psychiatric facility—marking a shared return to a dream once put on hold by illness, and now realized through resilience and family devotion.