My Kidney Transplant Story: Ron Gurley
I was born with one kidney. I found out in 1957 when I was six years old. I had a gunshot wound to my chest; it was a miracle I lived. When they were looking at the damage it had done and getting me all sewed up, they saw that I only had one kidney. Back then there was no dialysis, nothing to support kidney failure. I wasn’t able to do contact sports like football, but I was able to play baseball and other sports throughout junior high and high school.
I got married and stayed pretty active. I started running marathons in my early 20s, back when it wasn’t popular. You were an idiot if you did that back then, but I really enjoyed it. That got me into endurance sports, which helped keep my weight down.
Then I had kids. When they started getting older, I didn’t have time to do it as much, and we started going fishing and playing golf—all the things that make you fat. I started cycling when I was about 40 because my knees were starting to hurt and I really liked it.
I had a cycling buddy who at 60 did the Race Across America, which is the toughest bicycle race in the world. That inspired me to get back in shape. I decided it was either call the gym or call the funeral home and I decided calling the gym was the better option.
I decided to just get in good enough shape to do a 5K. Then I started swimming. One day I decided to try a spin class. That really excited me and brought back my love of cycling. That week I went out and bought a new bicycle. That next week I did the Hotter’N Hell Hundred. I did the 50-miler, and it was tough but it lit the fire again. I was swimming, riding my bike, and I would jog a little bit, so decided to do a short triathlon. I did another one the next spring, then I really thought, how much can I do? I did an Olympic distance one and that was a little tougher, but it was fun. Then I thought, why not try an Ironman?
I was at a marathon in Fort Worth and these people had a tent set up and were recruiting for the Fort Worth triathlon club, FWTri. I said, could you use an old man? They said yes, so I was one of the first 20 or 30 people to join. That was one of the best things I ever did.
There were some super people there and we started working out together. I did my first half Ironman when I was 63. About six months later, I did my first full Ironman. There were about 60 of us racing and I came in 10th. That led to another one. To date, I have done 15 half Ironmans and four fulls. In the process of doing all that you make great friends.
My kidney donor was a member of that club. She is a super athlete, and she is tough as nails. When I found out that my kidney was failing, it took about three years to get to the level where I was eligible for a transplant. I didn’t know if they would accept me or not because I was 73 years old. When they accepted my application at Medical City in Fort Worth, they kept pushing for a living donor. They said if there was any chance of me finding a living donor, I’d have a better chance of success. I thought, how do you ask someone to give you a kidney? I can’t do that, I’ll just wait my turn.
She called Sheila and asked if she would just check around the club to see if anybody would consider being a donor. Within an hour, Sheila had already gone to my microsite, filled out the form, and was going to Quest to give her blood.
Ron Gurley
My wife had a different idea. She knew that the FWTri club was filled with healthy people. She called Sheila and asked if she would just check around the club to see if anybody would consider being a donor. Within an hour, Sheila had already gone to my microsite, filled out the form, and was going to Quest to give her blood.
I thought, that’s great but there is no chance we will be a match, that would be too easy. I put the QR code for my microsite on Facebook. Once I did that, every day there were three or four hundred people looking at it. Only six or seven actually registered. Most weren’t healthy enough, because you have to be in excellent health to give a kidney. That’s OK, it only takes one.
Meanwhile, Sheila checked with her husband, and he said he was fine with whatever she wanted to do. They gave her an advocate who was a woman who had given a kidney and was still doing Ironmans, so that made her feel good. She told me she wasn’t doing it just for me, that she wanted to do it for herself. She thought it sounded like something that would change someone’s life. She told me that even if she wasn’t a match for me, she was going to donate anyway so I could be first on the list.
In August, she called up and said, “We’re a match.” I only had to do dialysis for three weeks, which is a blessing. October 23, 2024, was the surgery. Everything went smoothly. We got to see each other right before the surgery and a day or so after.
My immune system was so good that it tried to reject the kidney. They had to kill my T cells and that took care of the problem. Now the kidney is working great, everything is good. I’m three months out next week. I’m still weak but I’m doing some trainer riding inside the house on my bike. I couldn’t do that for six to seven weeks because of the risk of hernia. I am walking two to four miles a day, so that feels good.
I had to have three months of isolation. I have to use some insulin now because of all the steroids they give you, but if that’s the worst thing I have to do, that’s nothing. My wife has been a super caregiver, she cooks me gourmet meals and takes care of everything. I’ve been very blessed there too.
We got written up in the national triathlon magazine. Joining that tri club 12 or 13 years ago, that probably gave me extra years to my life.
About the Author
Ron Gurley is a retired pharmacist. He worked in the pharmaceutical field for 40 years and received his degree from the University of Texas, where he met his wife of 52 years, also a retired pharmacist. They have a son, a daughter, and four grandsons they are extremely proud of, and two awesome cats that keep them entertained. His wife is an awesome cook and caretaker, so he has to get outside and exercise so he can enjoy the meals. He loves endurance training and has competed in many events, including Ironmans both half and full. He has won the male division of several cycling events, including two 500-mile cycling races and several 24- and 48-hour events. His triathlon club, FWTri, is an incredible nonprofit organization that does amazing things in his area, including supporting kids with shoes and adopting local families who need help at Christmas. He is 74 years young and hopes to add several more before he’s finished. He owes it all to the Lord for blessing him with an awesome friend who lovingly gave him a kidney and a chance to live a normal life and someday hopefully see his great-grandchildren. One of his favorite things each year is ringing the Salvation Army bell at the red pot at Walmart and watching people give to help others, just as he was given an awesome gift. He and his donor plan to promote living donor programs in every manner possible and hope to compete in a few events in the future together wearing kits to raise awareness about living donation.