“I saw an article online about kidney donation; I read up on it and felt an urge to do it. It seemed like a pretty low sacrifice that has a huge impact.
“I started looking into it in November of 2014. You really don’t need the extra kidney. The only real sacrifice is a little bit of pain. Somebody else is going through a lot of pain that needs it. You’re going to miss some time from work, but that’s really all the sacrifice there is.
“I’ve been in the military and I’m hoping to go into law enforcement. In my mind, none of that has the impact that this will have.
“I graduated from Brookwood High School. I was in the Air Force for four years, working in intelligence. I just finished school at UAB the week of my transplant with a criminal justice major. I did my internship this summer with the U.S. Marshals and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and I hope to get into the DEA.
“I’ve been going to UAB for 2½ years. My first semester of college was 11 years ago, but I joined the military in between. I’ve always worked full time while going to school full time.
“My dad died when I was 18 from a drug overdose, and I’ve been around drugs and seen the damage they can do to people my whole life. I’ve always wanted to be out there and part of the solution to problems. Kidney disease is a big problem. I hope that more people will see the impact living kidney donation can have and consider doing it — especially people around my age. If you’re healthy, it can have a great impact on others.”
Colby Heatherly - 49
"I’ve always wanted to be out there and part of the solution to problems. Kidney disease is a big problem."