All children carry with them parts of their parents. This usually comes in the form of DNA and, for good or bad, a genetic inheritance. For Kamrin Cramer, however, it comes quite literally: he carries inside of him one of his mother's kidneys.

The 13-year-old Joint Base Lewis-McChord boy received the kidney last summer after enduring years of tests, blood draws, surgeries, hospital visits and dialysis. Ironically, his kidney problems were only discovered after he was attacked by a neighbor's pit bull when he was 5 years old. Days later, Kamrin complained of back pain. Thinking it was related to the attack, his mother, Stacee Villa, took him back to the hospital, where doctors discovered elevated levels of protein in his urine. Further testing revealed small kidneys and a mega ureter. His official diagnosis was chronic kidney disease (end stage 4) with hydronephrosis due to obstructive uropethy.

Though the attack didn't cause the kidney issue, "it was a blessing in disguise because it brought his problems to our attention," Villa said. "Kidney disease is referred to as the ‘silent killer' because people don't know they have the disease until their symptoms have progressed to the point of needing a medical intervention like dialysis or a transplant. So as terrible as it was, the dog attack was the reason we found out early about Kamrin's disease."

A few years ago, Kamrin's kidney function worsened, and he began weekly dialysis treatments at Seattle Children's Hospital. The family knew he would need a transplant one day, so relatives started getting tested. There were no matches until Villa herself stepped in; she found out in May that she was a match.

Still, the decision to give her son a kidney did not come easily.

"You struggle with, ‘I'm going to risk my life here,'" said Villa, a mother also to Veronica, 8, and Dominick, 2, who is married to Sgt. Reinaldo Villa, a combatives instructor on JBLM. "You want to make sure you're doing the right thing for everybody." But "ultimately," she added, " I wanted a more normal life for my family. It was hard. I couldn't have done it without the support of my family."

The procedure took place July 24. Villa's kidney was removed at the University of Washington Medical Center, then transported via ambulance to Seattle Children's, where Kamrin was prepped and ready. His surgery took more than six hours.

Though Villa had just given her son a life-changing gift, she wasn't able to be there when he woke up because she needed to recover.

"That was the hardest part," she said, "not being able to see him."

Most kids Kamrin's age are happy to get an Xbox or a new skateboard. But Villa's gift to her son will last a lifetime and bonded the two in ways most parents will never know.

"It's really weird when I look at Kam and stop and think that ... he is walking around with my kidney in him," Villa wrote on a Facebook page she started, Kamrin's Transplant Journey, a few days before he was discharged. "It is so surreal!"

"I am thankful my mom risked her life to give me her kidney," said Kamrin, who is being homeschooled to keep from falling behind in his studies.

Kamrin will be on anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life and still makes trips to Seattle several times a month. But the kidney is functioning well, Villa said, and Kamrin "has grown by leaps and bounds. Everything has been awesome."