Firefighter To Donate Kidney To Friend
2 Friends Have Known Each Other For
6 Years
News4Jax.com
JACKSONVILLE,
Fla. -- They have known each other for six years, but they'll soon have a bond stronger than friendship.
Next week, a Jacksonville firefighter
will donate a kidney to a fellow firefighter.
John Hall works for Jacksonville
Fire and Rescue, and like most firefighters he's the picture of strength, courage and health.
But on the inside, Hall has been
sick for a long time.
His immune system started attacking
his kidneys when he was just a boy, and now, thirty years later, he's in need of help.
"My doctor told my wife and I that
I needed dialysis to live," Hall said. "The only way to fix it would be to get a transplant."
It didn't take long for people to
start getting tested. Hall's best friend and fellow firefighter, Jim Sparks, got in line.
"He was the first one who tested
for it," Hall said.
Added Sparks: "He needed a kidney,
so I thought I'd go get checked out and see if I match."
"A couple weeks later they called
and told me I was a match. I said, 'Well, that backfired big time," Sparks said while laughing.
It's that same sense of humor that
brought them together.
Hired by JFRD on the same day six
years ago, they've been best of friends ever since.
But Hall said now he considers Sparks
more than a best friend.
"It's undescribable what he's doing
for me," Hall said. "We get paid to save people's lives all the time, but he really is saving mine."
Local Firefighter To Donate Kidney