8-year-old recovering after getting kidney from dad

ATLANTA - Charlie Hall first met with FOX 5 in December of 2017 when she first got the green light for a kidney transplant. Charlie's kidneys functioned at only 10 percent and both of Charlie's parents checked to see if they were qualified to donate. Today, Charlie now has one of her father's kidneys and her mom, Haley Snepp, says things are progressing well. 

"She got his kidney and its doing great for her. so he get discharged yesterday and they brought him over to see her," Snepp said from their room at Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta at Egelston. 

Snepp showed Charlie the picture of her new kidney. 

"It's too big," says Charlie. Her mom assured her it fits just fine and they both agree it's working well for the now 8 year old. 

One of the reasons it took around 11 months for Charlie to have the transplant surgery: they were waiting for the young girl to grow into her adult organ. After they took out Brett Hall's kidney, Charlie FaceTimed her dad to see how he was doing. 

"What did you tell him about being sick?" asked Snepp. 

"Get over it. Suck it up. Be a warrior," Charlie said. 

Her mom says Charlie has had some ups and downs of her own since surgery, but it looks like her small body is accepting the organ. Snepp says her numbers are the strongest they've been her entire life. But her journey is far from over. 

"She'll be on anti rejection medications for the rest of her life, weekly clinic appointments in the beginning two to three times a week. blood work, and coming up with a new diet for her," Snepp said.

Previously, Charlie relied on a feeding tube to keep her fed and hydrated. Now, through therapy, they hope she will be able to eat on her own some day soon. Charlie says she still hopes to be a chef when she grows up.