“At age 39, I got really sick, and it kind of happened out of nowhere. I had diabetes, but I had it under control. I was in the process of transferring from Ohio to Montgomery. I came here and was living by myself and trying to find a place for my family to live so they could move down.
“I became so sick that I ended up in the hospital. I was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis and I was in stage-two kidney failure. We were able to get the diabetes under control in 45 days, but the kidney failure was a battle. I had high blood pressure, too, so it was difficult.
“In the meantime, I lost my job, in part because when I got sick, I lost my sight. I had diabetic retinopathy, and they had to do surgery on my eyes. I’m now legally blind. I can’t see fine print. I can’t drive anymore. I was an IT professional working with F-16s, so it was quite a blow.
“I eventually went into stage-four kidney failure and kept total failure at bay for six months. During that time, my stepmother, Maria, offered her kidney to me, and we went through the process. Her kidney was too tiny for my build, which is why we went into the swap program.
“It was almost a year to the day from when I started peritoneal dialysis until I received my transplant. When I originally started to get on the waiting list, I was told it would probably be 12 to 15 years before I would receive a transplant because of my O-negative blood type. My stepmom’s blood type is O, and with the new technologies and rejection drugs we learned that it could be done. I immediately was called by UAB, and they told me they had a donor for me. They originally told me I would probably get my transplant in November or December, but I wound up getting a call pretty quickly telling me they needed me at the end of August. I had the transplant on August 29.
“The transplant was quite interesting. Everything went well. I didn’t feel any pain after I woke up from the surgery. I was just lethargic from the medication. I actually got up and walked pretty quickly afterwards. All of the doctors told me it was an amazing surgery because they hadn’t even finished suturing me up before my kidney started kicking in. It was almost instantaneous. I got up the first of September and walked the eighth floor of the hospital and got lost.
“It was funny. Someone asked me, ‘Why did you walk so far?’ I said, ‘I feel like I’m 20.’
“I do talk with Laura Lee, the woman who gave me my kidney, and that’s an interesting story. I used to live in Hernando, Mississippi, which is about 20 minutes south of Memphis. I ended up knowing her best friend. It’s a small world. I call Laura my kidney sister. She’s a sweetheart.
“My children mean everything to me. I decided when I got sick and went on disability, that I wanted to live to see them grow up, get married, fall in and out of love and get to see my grandchildren if they ever have them.
“We’re a very close family, the three of us. I do everything for Sean, and he does everything for me. He’s my little bear. My daughter, Meghan, is 19, and I do my best to be there for her. When I was really ill, I couldn’t do a lot for them. I had struggles getting Sean to baseball and even doing homework with them. That’s why Maria offered to give me her kidney, because I was dwindling.
“Now, I’m able to chase Sean around the house and get after him when he doesn’t clean his room.
“I consider myself to be lucky. It feels great to be a part of this chain. It’s great trying to tell people who need help that kidney transplant is not frightening. You have support from a multitude of people, from the staff to the doctors and the surgeons. It’s great that this chain has been put together so we can share our stories with others in need and do what we can to bring awareness about the power of living kidney donation.”
Bryan Howard - 24
"It’s great that this chain has been put together so we can share our stories with others in need and do what we can to bring awareness about the power of living kidney donation.”