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| Jason Henley (l.) and Greg Hall celebrate their birthday with kidney-shaped cake. |
It all began 18 months ago, when Local 866 member Jason Henley overheard a conversation that would change his life and actually save the life of a man he casually knew through his work as a UPS driver in Oklahoma City. While making one of his regular stops at a UPS store, he learned one of the clerks discussing the fatigue he had been suffering from due to an unknown illness:
Like most people I meet on my route, I got to know him well know enough to say ‘hi’ and visit some. When I noticed he was not at the store as often, I wondered if something was wrong but it wasn’t until I overhead him that day that I found out he was missing work due to illness and fatigue. In this position I meet many different people. I see most of them on a daily basis. I hear their stories, get to know them, I truly care about them.
The clerk was Greg Hall, a married father of three. In April 2014 he was diagnosed with kidney failure and eventually ended up on dialysis. Doctors told him a kidney transplant was needed to improve his condition. Upon hearing this, Henley started asking what was involved with donating a kidney:
'What can I do?’ I kept asking. I had so many questions. Then I began asking, 'Why couldn't I give him a kidney?'
Henley went home and learned all that he could about kidney transplants:
It felt like this was my purpose to give Greg my kidney. I knew we’d be a match. It all felt too predestined not too work out.
After receiving the paperwork for the transplant process Henley waited for a month to go over it, knowing that once he did, his life would change. It was a scary time for Henley. He knew that God would direct him:
It just so happened we shared a rare blood type. We also found out we shared the same birthday. It was another sign the gift was meant to be.
In late September, a successful transplant took place. Henley told Teamster Nation that he and Hall talk on a daily basis and are both on the road to recovery:
He’s looking forward to spending many years with his family. Greg is set to live a long and healthy life. He’s a brother to me now.
