"I had two friends who donated a kidney a few years ago. They played sports at the University of Portland. It was a pretty powerful thing to see what they were willing to do to help another person, and I told myself if I ever had the opportunity to do it, I would step up and do it.
"Obviously, I had no idea that my buddy Jay Ernst would one day need a kidney. Jay and I played football at Washington and Jefferson together. Jay was an offensive lineman, and a pretty good one. He was a better football player than me. I was a wide receiver and a punter. We definitely formed a friendship while we were there, and we Jay announced to his friends on Facebook that he was sick and he needed a kidney, I wanted to help.
"I went through all the tests. We weren’t a match, but they told us that I was healthy enough to donate and that they could put us in the cross-match program. It meant that Jay would get a kidney from a stranger, and that I would be able to donate to a stranger on his behalf, so it was a great feeling to know that I was still going to be able to help him even though we didn’t match.
"To be honest, it was not a difficult decision to decide to donate. If you have something and you’re able to give it and help somebody else, you do it. That was instilled in me from my parents. When Jay asked for volunteers, I called and told him I wanted to help him out.
"When you think about the impact of someone being sick, and for me, Jay specifically. You’re talking about a young guy. A husband. A father of two children. … I think about all the things and luxuries I had growing up, like having a dad around to teach me how to play sports or just give me valuable life lessons. I couldn’t imagine Jay’s wife having to raise two children on her own. I looked at the donation as a way to create a better life for all of them.
"My biggest fear was rejection of the kidney, whether it was from Jay or the person I was giving to. That was my biggest worry. I just wanted it to work for both of them.
"That’s the other part of this that turns out to be amazing. Shane Holcomb was my recipient. When you’re going into this, I’m going in thinking I’m helping Jay and that’s impactful. But when you realize you’ve also had the added benefit of helping Shane, his wife and his three kids, it’s really an emotional experience. And I’ve had people say, ‘You’re a hero for doing this,’ but I don’t feel that way I all. I think it was just something you decide to do because it’s the right thing to do.
"When you look at this UAB Kidney Chain and the impact it has had, it’s an unbelievable experience to be a part of something that is really a game changer for kidney transplants in general. It’s an unbelievable experience getting to help people. That’s the biggest thing. It’s awesome to have the opportunity to help someone. I hope that more people will answer the opportunity to help, because the list of those in need is long. Not everyone is as fortunate as Jay, who has a long list of people who love him and wanted to help him and also were tested to be donors. My hope is that there are other people out there who want to help and make a decision to donate to someone in need."