Grandmother donates kidney to 21-month-old granddaughter

Cindy Smith says she feels "blessed" that she was able to help her family in a critical moment of need. The 54-year-old grandmother donated her kidney to save the life of her 21-month-old granddaughter.

Clara was born with only one kidney. Her parents were told just a week after she was born that their little girl would need daily dialysis until she was able to receive a kidney transplant.

Kate Boddie, Clara's mother, says her mom offered to donate her kidney as soon as they shared the news of Clara's prognosis.

"My mom said, 'I want to do it,'" Boddie told ABC News. "[I said] 'You're crazy, grandma,' ... She said, 'No really I want to do it.'"

Boddie and her husband put Clara through dialysis every night until she was old enough for the transplant surgery. When neither of them were matches, Smith was waiting to be tested as a potential donor.

"I called my daughter and said, 'I have my 12th man jersey on and I'm ready to go in,'" Smith said, referring to the football tradition of the extra player that comes in from the sidelines to help.

At the end of March, Clara and Smith went in for the transplant surgery -- a hard day for Boddie with both her mother and daughter undergoing surgery at the same time. But both Smith and Clara did well and now Clara is doing better than ever.

"And I'm not going to lie: I cried," Boddie told ABC News. "You can tell she feels better. Before the surgery, she was very low-key. ... I think a lot of the time she didn't have the energy to have a fight for things. Now she's feisty."

This Sunday, all three generations of the family will be celebrating Mother's Day together.

"I'm quite sure that I'm the one that has been blessed," Smith said. "How many grandmas get to do this? That will maybe change her whole life."