What seemed like a simple case of the flu turned into a living nightmare for 21-year-old Dwight Randolph. After visiting the doctor for chest pain and a small cough, Randolph thought flu medicine was enough. Not long after that visit he was unconscious and woke up on life support.
Doctors in Greeley, Colorado struggled to learn what had gone wrong inside the body of a healthy college student. Randolph studied physical fitness and even worked at his campus gym, but was now facing a life-threatening diagnosis. With fluid-filled lungs and a failed kidney one doctor was able to recognize the symptoms as ANCA Vasculitis.
The autoimmune disease was eating away at the young mans organs. With 75 percent damage, doctors said his kidneys had reached a point they would never recover. Dialysis was no longer an option and Randolph would face either a transplant or death.
Despite needing daily medical attention, Randolph attempted to resume his daily life, but it didn’t take long for one stranger to approach him. Kristian Reynolds was a fellow student who worked out at the campus gym and recognized Randolph had been missing lately. As soon as Randolph told the man about his need for a kidney, Reynolds immediately offered his own.
“I just felt really compelled to want to help him,” admits Reynolds, ”I told him that I would get tested and if I was a match I would donate.”
It took about three months, but they eventually learned the two were a match. The success of the transplant inspired Dwight and Kristian to create the non-profit Go Save a Life which provides the public a place to learn, share personal stories, and connect those in need with those who want to give.