It’s early in the morning on Tuesday April 12.  Dr. Brian Yontz is wheeled into an operating room at OSU’s medical center.  The surgeon enters the environment and begins the transplant, taking out Yontz’s kidney, placing it in a pan with solution and then taking it next door.  In the next operating room is Rick Yontz, the father of Brian Yontz.  He is about to receive a kidney from his son.

Rewind to the summer of 2015, when Yontz’s father was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure due to complications with diabetes.  There are two treatments: dialysis and transplant.  He began with dialysis.

“Every night he hooked himself up to a machine next to his bed at 9:00 pm and ran all night until about 6:30 am,” explained Yontz.  “He did not rest well, my mom had to sleep elsewhere and they could not travel at all.”

On the other hand, should a suitable donor be found, Rick Yontz would no longer need these treatments.  Thus Brian Yontz began the process of testing to find if he was a  suitable match.  The testing began in September.  Though Yontz and his father are not the same blood type, Yontz’s DNA sequencing made for a promising match.  In addition he underwent “physical testing, urine sampling, scans, 24 hours blood pressure monitoring and several blood test.”  These showed he was “very healthy with low risks of developing diabetes or kidney issues.”

“I never had one ounce of doubt of wanting to donate because I love him and to me–love is laying down one’s life for another,” shared Yontz.  “I never had the thought that my life was at risk (nor was it truly at risk), and therefore this act was nowhere near the ultimate act of love—but it was the best I could do to show love to my dad.  My mom and wife were a bit nervous—but I can honestly say, my desire to do this never wavered.”

Early in March, Yontz was confirmed as a donor, and the surgery was set for April 12.   After the operation, Yontz, though sore and tired, witnessed his father become a new man.

“My dad felt amazing immediately,” he exclaimed. “The kidney started working immediately, and he began making urine and got his energy back almost instantly.”

His father, a 66-year-old man now has a fresh new outlook on life thanks to his 39-year-old son and his new 39-year-old kidney.

“The transplant has made my dad like 15 years younger—his energy level, cognitive processing, and color has not been this way in 10-15 years,” Yontz continued.  “It’s working great, he’s off dialysis, and doing wonderful.”

Plus, this transplant has given Yontz and his father a new bond in life.

“It certainly will give us more years to make memories as a family, and I know he is appreciative of a 39-year-old kidney,” he said.  “It’s hard to quantify if this adds years to his life, since there are so many variables to life–but it certainly added to the quality of his life.”

In the end, this experience has meant a lot for Yontz.  If given an opportunity to donate again, if even to a stranger, he gladly would, explaining if someone ever has the chance to donate, they should do it.

“I believe in a God who loves me, loves life, hates sickness, who heals–and basically wants the pain-free living of heaven to be here on Earth,” he described.  “Likewise, I believe greatly in science and modern medicine. A lot of folks may think those are competing ideologies–but they absolutely are not and they are actually complementary. Finally, I have a great support system—led by my wife. With my faith in God, science, and my support system—that’s a squad I’d follow into battle anywhere and made this a super simple process.”

It’s pretty cool to see a Wittenberg professor acting so selflessly and passing the light by giving a kidney to his father, and The Hero Project salutes you, Dr. Brian Yontz, for being such an inspiring hero.