For Michael Boone and Monique Blackburn, helping people has never been something they do when it’s convenient. It’s simply who they are.
Michael has spent nearly two decades working for the Indiana Department of Correction in South Bend, Indiana, encouraging incarcerated men who are trying to build better futures. Monique works in home health care, walking alongside people during some of life’s most challenging seasons. Together, they’ve built a relationship centered on caring for others, supporting family, and finding ways to make a difference in the lives of the people around them.
“We both have good hearts,” Michael said. “We can relate to each other as far as caring for other people and what we should do.”
That shared commitment became especially important when Michael’s health took an unexpected turn. In late 2019, after experiencing a series of health issues and dangerously high blood pressure, Michael learned that he had diabetes. Soon afterward, doctors discovered his kidneys were failing.
Within months, Michael’s life changed dramatically. Rather than receiving dialysis treatments several times a week at a clinic, he chose peritoneal dialysis, which allowed him to perform treatments at home. While it offered flexibility, it also required him to spend about ten hours connected to a machine every day.
“It was really taking over [my] life,” he said.
Michael continued working full time, but dialysis dictated nearly everything else.
“If I worked eight hours and did ten hours on the machine, that’s eighteen hours out of a twenty-four-hour day,” he said. “It cuts your life short. It cuts vacations short. It cuts everything short.”
Family gatherings often had to end early. Overnight trips became difficult. Even simple plans required careful coordination around treatment schedules.
For Monique, those limitations became part of daily life as well.
“There were days I didn’t understand,” she said. “I’d get upset because I wanted to do something, but then I’d have to remind myself that we’re in it together. If he’s on the machine, then I’m on the machine too.”
Michael knew it was a difficult thing for anyone to live with, and he didn’t want to drag Monique down. “I told her, if you don’t think you can handle it, we can come back around once all this is over with,” he said.
But Monique never considered it. Having cared for her father through illness before his passing, she understood what it meant to stay committed during difficult seasons.
“I loved him, and you’ve got to stick through it,” she said. Instead of allowing it to divide them, their relationship only grew stronger. Monique remembered how Michael had stood beside her when she lost her father. When dialysis began consuming Michael’s life, she became his constant source of encouragement and support.
“She’s been my rock ever since,” Michael said.
Despite the demands of treatment, Michael never stopped looking for ways to invest in other people.
At work, he continued mentoring incarcerated men and helping them prepare for life after release. He became involved in a program that allows licensed barbers within the correctional system to give back to their communities through events that provide free haircuts, meals, school supplies, and encouragement to families and children.
For Michael, serving others has always been deeply personal.
“There’s always somebody that needs your help,” he said. “If I can help somebody through what they’re struggling through, it helps my struggle too.”
That mindset extended to fellow kidney patients as well.
After reconnecting with a longtime friend who was also battling kidney failure, Michael began sharing everything he had learned about dialysis, nutrition, and transplant preparation. The two encouraged one another through appointments, treatments, and setbacks.
Eventually, Michael watched his friend receive a kidney transplant. Seeing his friend reach that milestone gave Michael hope.
For four years, Michael waited for his own opportunity. On more than one occasion, he and Monique experienced the disappointment of traveling to Indianapolis after receiving that long-anticipated phone call, only to find out that the organ was not viable. There were moments when it seemed like the breakthrough they were praying for might never come. Still, neither Michael nor Monique gave up.
“We just kept praying and believing,” Monique said. “I knew it was going to happen.”
Then one Saturday evening, the call finally came. A donor kidney and pancreas had become available. After years of waiting, Michael was headed to Indianapolis for the transplant that would give him a new future.
“We’d been waiting on that call,” he said.
The surgery was successful, and another blessing soon followed. Through Michael’s transplant friend, the couple learned about Fair Haven. As they prepared for recovery in Indianapolis, having a safe and comfortable place to stay removed one more burden during an already overwhelming season.
“It was meant for us to be here,” Michael said. From the moment they arrived, they felt at peace. “We prayed about it and instantly felt comfortable. It’s been a blessing ever since.”
For Michael and Monique, Fair Haven provided more than temporary housing. It provided stability, comfort, and a place where they could focus on healing together while looking ahead to what comes next.
And that’s what excites them most. For years, dialysis forced Michael to focus on surviving. But now, he is focused on living.
Michael is looking forward to traveling, spending uninterrupted time with family, and pursuing dreams that have been pushed aside. He’s excited to continue mentoring men, serving his community, and helping dialysis and transplant patients navigate journeys similar to his own.
In fact, Michael hopes to return to the dialysis clinic where he once received treatment so he can encourage others who are just beginning the process. He knows how discouraging those early days can feel, and he knows how much it matters to hear from someone who’s made it through.
For both Michael and Monique, Michael’s transplant represents more than improved health. It represents the chance to fully embrace the life they feel called to live.
A life centered on faith, family, and service. A life where they can once again pour into others without the limitations that have defined the last several years. Their future is filled with hope. As Michael describes, “It’s been nothing but open doors for us now.”
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