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| Kevin Donte Guice and Samantha Stewart |
The young man on the left is Kevin Donte Guice. Kevin is 26 years old from Dickson, TN, and works as a Certified Public Accountant in North Carolina. He earned his Master’s Degree from Wake Forest University, and his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He is a proud Alum of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and is a dedicated Christian.
The BEAUTIFUL girl on the right is Samantha Stewart. She is 24 years old from Radcliff, KY, and works at the Vanderbilt University hospital. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and is currently working on her Master’s Degree at Lipscomb University in Nashville. She is a proud Alum of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and is also a dedicated Christian. She also happens to be my oldest sister.
Kevin and Sam’s lives recently intertwined for what is the most inspirational story that I have had the opportunity to experience in my life. It doesn’t come often when real life stories mirror the emotional and dramatic plots seen in movies or on television. But this story has touched numerous lives already and has changed my perspective on not just the cliché themes such as giving, friendship and sacrifice, but what is truly means to be selfless. Both Kevin and Sam embody these characteristics, and I hope this story inspires many more.
When Kevin was 12 or 13 years old, he went in to receive a routine physical examination in order to play football. After the examination Kevin was told that he had a potential kidney disease called Glomerulonephritis. This disease is basically an inflammation of the filters in the kidney, called glomeruli, which are supposed to remove the excess fluids, electrolytes and waste from a person’s bloodstream into their urine. Kevin’s kidneys were not removing that waste, and the harmful toxics stayed in his body, which could eventually kill him. If his kidneys failed he would need a donor.
As Kevin got older his disease became worst. The summer after he completed his Master’s Degree at Wake Forest, he learned that his kidneys had completely failed. He would be forced to have a dialysis at his home to work as his kidney in order to remove the waste, and he had a catheter inserted into his stomach. As a child, Kevin didn’t fully understand the magnitude of the disease, but as an adult his reality felt like he was living in a nightmare.
But that didn’t keep Kevin’s spirits down. Yes it was tough, but Kevin made the most of his situation. He prayed and fasted, and was dedicated to his Christian faith, always believing that God would give him the answer that his body so desperately needed. He studied and passed CPA exam during this time, and even had the motivation and energy to start working out again.
Through it all, Kevin’s focus wasn’t even on himself and his own health. Kevin believed that God had a calling and purpose to give back, and used his efforts to volunteer at the National Kidney Foundation’s Camp Reynal in Dallas, TX. This camp is dedicated to encourage children with renal and urology disease, by giving them a safe, fun, explorative environment to foster growth, friendship, self-esteem and independence. Even through his own disease, Kevin would rather spend his efforts to give back to children who are struggling with the same problem.
Kevin continued to have high hopes after Camp Reynal. He began traveling when he could and living life by experiencing new things and going on new adventures. However, Kevin soon found out that his mother, who was initially going to donate her kidney, was actually rejected as a donor because her wary blood pressure. Kevin was overwhelmed with the news, and it became harder for him to stay encouraged. What he didn’t know was that God was looking out for him, and someone else was thinking about Kevin’s situation as much as him.
Samantha’s boyfriend, TJ, was actually one of Kevin’s line brothers in their fraternity. Kevin and Samantha were also good friends at the University of Tennessee.TJ told Samantha about Kevin’s situation, and she insistently felt inspired to do something to help. Samantha went to the hospital, and without Kevin’s knowledge, had her blood drawn to see if she could be a match for Kevin. Samantha received her results a few months later, after other requirements as well, and found out that she was a match. After much thought, prayer and discussion with her family, including myself, she decided to donate. As her brother, it was scary to think about my sister giving up a vital organ in her body, because I was concerned about her well-being. Samantha was aware that her lifestyle would change that would come with living with one less kidney. Even through this reality, the thought of helping a friend was greater than any fear she had.
Samantha told Kevin the good news, and he was elated. The two of them had to go through various individual appointments with their own physician, and their last appointment was together. The transplant was scheduled to take place Dec. 9, 2014. The day of the transplant, both our family and Kevin’s family met at the hospital wearing shirts that said Kevin and Sam’s Kidney Day, with the scripture Jeremiah 33:6 on the back. The scripture reads, “Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.” Both families were clinging to this scripture during the surgery. Although it was great that the transplant would take place, there was also the possibility that Kevin’s body could reject the kidney.
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| Andrew Stewart Class of 2015 |
The surgery took place in Nashville at Vanderbilt University hospital. Throughout the surgery, everything went as planned and the transplant was successful. Both Kevin and Sam were in pain afterwards, but all they cared about was the other’s health status. Samantha kept asking if Kevin was okay, and Kevin wanted to see Sam as soon as he could. They both even had a competition of who could walk and see the other one first (and I think Kevin won that challenge). After a few days in the hospital, Sam and Kevin were released and were able to go back to living their normal lives, with both of them gaining new perspective and being transformed in a new way. Kevin has to stay in Nashville for 3 months in order for the doctors to monitor his progress and make sure the kidney is working properly. Kevin is recovering well, and passed all the proper evaluations after his first month check up. Samantha and Kevin saw each other a lot the first month and both are doing well physically.
Both are living normal lives, but normal isn’t the appropriate word for their lives now. Kevin has been given a new start, a brand new opportunity, and a fresh hope that would allow him to live out his life dreams without the fear of dying young. Sam is living with a new optimism, which all things are possibly with faith and belief. She is more appreciative of the life she has, and is willing to sacrifice basically anything, including her own body, in order to help those in need. Eleanor Roosevelt once said that, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’” Both Kevin and Sam gained strength, courage and confidence from this experience, and they both looked the fear of death in the face and told it that it wouldn’t win. The two of them live each moment to the fullest because they now fully understand what it means to be given a new life.
If you would like more information about Kevin’s story, the link below is a video of his journey:
To learn more about Kidney disease, visit:
To learn/donate to Camp Reynal, visit:
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Andrew Stewart is a senior McConnell Scholar majoring in political science. He is from Radcliff, Ky.