Connecticut Families: West Haven kidney recipient comes full circle with job at dialysis center

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — There were days when Yannick Napier didn’t know what the future would hold.

“I need to be there,” he told News 8 in 2020, as the new father went public with his dire need for a new kidney.

His dream was to teach his baby son, Marley, someday how to ride a bike.

Then, in 2022, after a nine-year wait, Napier got a transplant.

“It was a beautiful moment,” he told us two years ago.

Slowly, his dreams started to become reality.

“I am over the moon with how positive our lives have changed in the last two years,” Napier’s wife, Katelyn, said.

Since we last saw this amazing couple, they got married with Marley by their side.

“It was a day for the record books,” Napier said. “It was insanely joyful.”

More good news: Napier finally felt well enough to get a full-time job.

Napier is now a patient care technician at a dialysis center, bringing his story full circle.

“I figured I could be a physical representation that there is life past dialysis,” he said.

That life is full of normal family time, like fishing and laughing at the playground.

“My daddy and mommy want to play with the swings,” Marley said.

His 4-year-old son is now working those training wheels, thanks to lessons from his dad.

“You gotta turn and watch out for the bumps,” Marley said.

“I promise you, I can’t thank God enough, and I can’t count my blessings enough without tearing up,” Katelyn said.

Count blessings and pay them forward.

Napier hopes his story provides others with hope.

“Just let things happen as they naturally progress, stay positive, and stay dreaming because they’re definitely achievable,” he said.

Napier has more dreams of continuing to grow and pursue new opportunities in the medical field.

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