When Tracy Brewer asked about a fellow member of her church congregation’s blood type, she had no idea that the simple question would start a life-changing journey.

Billy Click had been diagnosed with kidney failure long before the night Tracy approached him at a cookout. Two years earlier, doctors told Billy that he was at a crossroads; the choice was either dialysis or a transplant, and he was placed on the kidney donor list soon thereafter.

The Click family spread the word about Billy’s need for a transplant in inventive ways. They put ads on the back of their cars, listing their phone number for interested donors to call. They went on vacation together, with the whole family wearing t-shirts saying, “Ask me about donating a kidney.”

Their efforts prompted people from coast to coast to ask how they could help, and while many were tested, no matches were found. Even Billy’s parents volunteered to make the organ donation, but they were beyond the required age range.

Comfort in Faith and Friends

Hoping that a match would eventually be found, Billy and his wife, Karen, sought comfort in their faith. Billy’s most fervent prayer was for a positive outcome. “I felt that I’d be a winner no matter what happened, and I was grateful that it was me going through it instead of others in my family,” he said.

Although Tracy and her husband, Mike, did not know the Clicks well, she had heard about Billy’s need for a kidney. At a church cookout, she approached Billy. During their conversation, she found out that many potential donors for Billy had been tested, but nothing had worked out.

One Question Set the Wheels in Motion

“What’s your blood type?” she asked. When Billy told her that it was O positive – the same as hers – “that’s what started everything,” she said. “I couldn’t get it off my mind.”

Over the next two weeks, as Tracy reflected on the conversation, “I felt a peace about it like I’d never had,” she said. She called the Center for Transplant Services at The University of Tennessee Medical Center to submit her application as a potential donor on a Friday. Over the weekend, all she could think was, “I’m doing this.”

A True Holiday Gift

After a series of intensive tests, Tracy learned in December 2018 that she was a match. Meanwhile, Billy had heard that someone at his church was being tested, but he didn’t know who.

Soon afterward, at another gathering, Tracy couldn’t contain her excitement any longer. “I walked up and told him, ‘I’m your donor, and we’re probably having surgery sometime around January first,’” she said.

“You can imagine how I felt,” Billy said. “It was like time stood still. My prayers were answered on that night due to one person who had compassion and stepped forward. What a Christmas holiday that was!”

Transplant Center Instills Confidence

Once their surgery date was set, Tracy had no reservations about the surgery. “I couldn’t wait,” she said. “In fact, I wanted it to move faster.”

“I cannot express how safe and confident I felt at the Center for Transplant Services.” Billy said. “Never a doubt, never a fear.”

A Second Chance

Now healthy and active, Billy can’t tell that he ever had a transplant. “I’m still in awe of the miracle. I got my Christmas present early that year; I got a second chance at life.”

“I tell people all the time,” Tracy said, “If I had another kidney to give, I’d do it all over again.”

About The Center for Transplant Services

More than 116,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ donation. Of that number, more than 90,000 are waiting for a kidney.

The Center for Transplant Services at The University of Tennessee Medical Center understands how difficult it is for people needing a kidney to be on the waiting list. Consider becoming a lifesaving living kidney donor. For more information, contact Lanny Martin, Living Donor Coordinator at the Center for Transplant Services at ALMartin@utmck.edu, or call 865-305-5340.