Carl Higgins sits across the table from his friend Jonathan Trees expressing gratitude for the gift that he has received.
“I love the man. He practically saved my life, so I don’t have choice,” Higgins said with a laugh. “It’s a miracle. It is a miracle and if more people felt like he did, there would be more people out there getting a kidney transplant.”
Trees, a 1990 graduate of Trevecca, moved from Florida to Nashville two years ago to pastor Grace Church of the Nazarene. Higgins quickly became friends with his new pastor.
In 2010, Higgins was diagnosed with Wegener's granulomatosis. The disorder affects blood vessels to the organs, and damage to the lungs and kidneys can be fatal.
“At first, dialysis was done in my arm, that’s why my veins are so puffed up. I started doing it on a cycler machine so that I could do it at home,” Higgins recalled. “I remember sometimes it would take 10 to 12 hours a night.”
The illness took a toll on Higgins, both emotionally and physically.
“[I remember] wishing that I could have more energy, and then you learn to deal with it because there is nothing else you can do,” Higgins said. “When I did dialysis in my arm, that’s what wore me out the most.”
Trees wanted to do something to help Higgins and his family. He remembers well the Sunday that started the process of discovering he was a viable donor for Higgins.
“We had Reach Kidney come in and set up a booth, and we made an appeal on Sunday morning for people to sign up,” Trees remembered. “At that time, there were two people at my church who needed a kidney, and Carl was one. So, we prayed for their healing, and we had 21 people sign up that day to be tested for kidney donations. As I’m walking out the door, my wife reminded me to sign up. So, literally, I was the last person to sign up.”
Reach Kidney set up a booth at the church to help two members who needed kidney transplants. Trees soon discovered he was a match for one of them.
Once Trees found out he was a match for Higgins, there was no turning back.
“There was no blinking or hesitation—it was just 'this is what we are doing,'” Higgins said. “If we are a match, we are moving on to the next stage.”
Higgins heard the good news during Sunday School.
“[Trees] said, ‘Well, I got some good news and some bad news,’” Higgins recalled. “He said, ‘I’m not a match for Diana (the other woman in the church who needs a transplant), but I’m a perfect match for you.’ That’s when I lost it, I cried like a baby. I absolutely lost it.”
For Trees, the turn of events isn’t just a coincidence.
“I definitely think it’s a miracle because there's no way these pieces could have come together if God hadn’t got around to a variety of people and prompted them in the way that He did,” Trees said. “If anything, God opened hope in my eyes to see that I could be a help in some way. The fact that we are a match is a miracle itself.”
The surgery took place on Sept. 5
The experience has made Trees an activist for living kidney donations.
“What I want people to know is that we need more living donors to step up,” Trees said. “I want people to be aware of how easy it is to be tested and honestly how easy it is to go through this process."
Even though Trees and the church are celebrating the happy ending to Higgins’ story, they’re still focused on finding a way to help another church member, Diana, who is still waiting for a donor match.
“I think there is someone there that can give her one, they just need to step up to the plate,” Higgins said. “If you can go ahead and save a life now, I recommend that you go ahead and do it.”
For Trees, there’s no need for a thank-you.
“I want them to know that they don’t have to say anything," he said. "This smile is enough.”
To learn more about what Trees has learned through the experience, read his post at “Through the Trees.” Want to know more about donating kidneys or how you could help? Visit Reach Kidney of Middle Tennessee.
By Princess Jones
Media contact: Mandy Crow, mmcrow@trevecca.edu, 615-248-1695