“I was having high blood pressure and diabetes and I accumulated a lot of swelling. The doctors did some blood work and discovered I was having kidney failure.
“I was diagnosed in February of 2014 and went on dialysis for about three months. People were willing to donate a kidney to me, but we could never get a match. Then my cousin said he would give; he wasn’t exactly a match, so he gave on my behalf.
“My doctors told me about the kidney transplant program at UAB. It was a quick process, and I would recommend it to anybody. When I got that phone call about me getting a kidney, I felt like I was given new life. It was amazing.
“Before I got my new kidney, I had no energy. I didn’t feel good. Now I feel like I’m 15 years old and wide open and ready to go.
“If you’re thinking about giving, you should give. You can give someone else life. Several people I know have signed up for organ donation after seeing what I had to go through.”
John Tarver - 37
"People were willing to donate a kidney to me, but we could never get a match. Then my cousin said he would give; he wasn’t exactly a match, so he gave on my behalf."