Austin Fox Anchor Giving Mom Christmas Gift of Life

By Kevin Eck 

Rebecca Thomas is giving her mom a pretty great Christmas present. Later this month, she’ll give her one of her kidneys.

The effects of having Lupus early in life have decreased her mom’s kidney function to the point she needs dialysis three hours a day three times a week.

The surgery is in two weeks. Thomas will be off the Austin, Texas Fox-owned station KTBC for two and half weeks after the surgery. She’ll work part-time for two weeks after that.

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“I’m scared. There are nerves, for sure,” she told Gary Dinges of Austin 360. “But I’ll be just fine.”

With barely two months on the job at Fox 7, Thomas, who arrived here after spending a decade in Phoenix, admits the timing isn’t ideal. But her family comes first, and she said her bosses are A-OK with that.

“Everyone at Fox has been awesome,” Thomas said. “They’ve been so supportive.”

That support extends on air, where Thomas is getting time during the station’s newscasts to report on her procedure in hopes of convincing more potential donors to get tested.

“We need to get more people registered,” she said. “Many people have died waiting. If you’re healthy, you only need one kidney. We all have a spare.”

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