TRIO Director Receives Second Chance At Life After Kidney Transplant
Carlton Daley had been waiting for four years, ever since the tri-weekly dialysis sessions became the norm to keep him alive.
The first glimmer of hope came in 2019, when a kidney match was found. Daley’s optimism was soon dashed after his body mass index was too high to go through with the procedure.
So here he was, three years later, fielding a similar call on July 30 at 10:30 p.m.
A match was found.
Two months later, Daley, who serves as the director of TRIO Student Support Services—a program at North Campus that prepares first-generation and low-income students to assimilate to college—is recovering and thankful for a second chance.
“Someone had to die early to give my dad a kidney,” said Carlton’s daughter, Taylor. “I’m just shocked in amazement and feeling extreme gratitude.”
Road To Recovery
To be eligible for the transplant, Daley changed his life. He abandoned the meat-heavy, high sodium and sweet-based meals that caused his kidney failure.
As a sign of support, his family changed their diet too. Fruits and vegetables such as mangos, cucumbers, tomatoes and avocados soon took priority.
Daley also began exercising every day. He walked three to five miles daily, mostly around his neighborhood but sometimes around campus. The regime helped him trim 117 pounds.
The 58-year-old also visited Jackson Memorial Hospital weekly to test his blood. He recorded his vitals—heartbeat, blood pressure and sugar levels—in a journal for his doctor.
Daley also took 48 different medications, including prednisone, myfortic and prograf, to maintain his health.
“He never gave off the impression that this was debilitating him,” said his son, Carlton Daley III.
To keep his kidneys functioning, Daley underwent dialysis—a four-hour-long process that pumps blood through a filter to purify it and send it back into the body—three times a week. In between that arduous process, he answered emails, attended online meetings and graded papers for his American history class.
“You can’t find a more committed person,” said Michael Mason, a retired Miami Dade College administrator, who befriended Daley during her tenure as the Meek Center Student Services Director. “It’s taken a journey in regard to doing what he needed.”
Despite the severity of his condition, Daley’s commitment to his students never waned.
Eon Alleyne-McMayo, who serves as the academic advisor for the TRIO program, recalls Daley calling from the intensive care unit to check in.
“That’s the kind of guy he is,” Alleyne-McMayo said.
Return To Campus
Daley, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from The University of the West Indies in 1986 and a master’s degree in American History in 2000 from Florida International University, hopes to return to campus on Oct. 31.
His first priority, he says, is to serve the 172 students in his cohort. Whether it be through a conversation about life, a hearty laugh or help with school work, Daley knows that “TRIO works.”
The slogan, which he often repeats, is evident in the hundreds of kids’ lives he has transformed during his 16-plus years at MDC.
“I love Mr. Daley,” said Zion Bennett, a second-year pre-nursing student at North Campus. “He’s like a dad, uncle, advisor and consultant all in one.”
Some of his alumni have become published authors, student leaders and program coordinators for nonprofit organizations such as the Aspen Institute.
“He’s a remarkable individual who is always giving of himself and never thinking of himself,” said Gener Romeo, one of Daley’s close friends and the director of the Gibson Education Center in Coconut Grove. “I’m glad he is still with us to touch many more young lives.”
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