As a two-time kidney recipient, Joe was familiar with organ donation; but it didn’t occur to him that he could make it his career until he walked through Mid-America Transplant’s doors and saw the mission and vision on the wall. “I started thinking, ‘what if I worked here? What change could I inspire?’” he said.
Joe first visited Mid-America Transplant as a member of Mid-America Transplant United, formerly called Team Transplant St. Louis. Every two years, MT United organizes a team of donor families, recipients, living donors, and supporters to represent their region at the Transplant Games of America. “I’m a very competitive person and I love sports,” Joe said. “MT United would have meetings sometimes at Mid-America Transplant.”
Joe with the MT United volleyball team at the 2022 Transplant Games of America
“When I was in my senior year of high school, I was diagnosed with stage five kidney disease, which meant I needed dialysis,” he said. Even though he was familiar with organ and tissue donation because of family members working in health care, he never thought it was something that would affect him. “I had to stop school and take care of my health,” he added. “It was a very shocking revelation at 18.”
About four years later, Joe got the call that a kidney was available. Unfortunately, the kidney didn’t take because of complications during surgery. Nine months later, Joe was back on dialysis.
“I couldn’t work a normal job while on dialysis because it took so much out of me,” he explained. “I did dialysis three days a week and in between those days of treatment, I was mostly in bed because I had no physical energy.” To feel better about his physical health, Joe started working out.
While he was waiting for his second kidney transplant, Joe’s brother passed away. “He was able to be a tissue donor and through the donation of his corneas, he was able to restore sight for two people,” he said.
Joe began working at a gym, and quickly rose through the ranks to become the general manager. He found a talent for talking to people about their health and physical goals as well as the legacy they wanted to leave behind. Although the schedule was demanding, he was inspired by the gym’s motto of “changing lives, one person at a time.” “I was looking to work for an organization where I could spend more time with my family,” he said. “But also have the opportunity to continue changing lives.”
Within three years of working at the gym, Joe received his second transplant at the age of 28. Needing a life-saving transplant, not once but twice, inspired Joe to pursue a career in organ and tissue donation.
Shortly after his second transplant, he saw a position available on Mid-America Transplant’s website which involved speaking with families about organ, eye, and tissue donation. “It was exactly the same kind of thing I was already doing at the gym, just for a different goal,” he said.
Joe in front of the Donor Memorial at Mid-America Transplant
Now as a donation coordinator, Joe speaks with families to either offer tissue donation or inform them of the wishes of their loved ones. “I walk them through the whole process,” he explained. “I make sure families know what’s involved, what the next steps are, and the resources that we offer at Mid-America Transplant. I support them the entire way through.”
And it helps that Joe knows firsthand the power of organ and tissue donation and that it saves lives. “I usually bring that up once families have shared their story. I talk about the fact that I’m a recipient, how it’s changed my life, and I know their loved one’s gifts can change someone else’s lives just as much as mine. They’re very thankful for that call,” he added.
Being able to reciprocate the gift of life is what Joe enjoys most about working at Mid-America Transplant. “Giving back is my favorite thing,” he said. “Knowing I was on dialysis for 10 years and tied to a machine to now having the freedom to be with my loved ones and be able to excel in whatever I’m doing with nothing holding me back, there’s no greater gift.”
Joe has certainly not let anything hold him back. In 2022, Joe competed at his first Transplant Games of America, where he participated in six sports, and earned seven medals: 4 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze. He will compete again in the 2024 games in Birmingham, Alabama.
Joe running in the 4x100 relay at the 2022 Transplant Games of America
From the moment he saw the vision on the wall to now facilitating the gift of life every day, Joe’s passion for organ and tissue donation has come full circle.
“We all have a reason why we’re here,” he said. “Our mission is to see the day where there’s no one waiting on that list.”
If you feel a calling toward organ and tissue donation, consider joining an organization committed to a lifesaving mission and find a rewarding career with Mid-America Transplant. View our current job openings.