The GIFT of LIFE for my friend

This is a true story and it happened to a good friend of mine. I will call him Ray.

Ray and I met in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous and we’ve become good friends. When I first met him he had a very responsible position as head master at a private school. Due to circumstances beyond his control he lost that job and spent well over a year looking for something comparable.

It was a very stressful time because Ray suffered from more than just the loss of his job. His kidneys were failing. Luckily he did find a job as Headmaster of a church Day School in our area and although he took a severe cut in salary it was a perfect fit for Ray. He loved the faculty and the students and they loved him and we in AA were happy that he would remain in our area.

Work was going very well for Ray but he was becoming sicker by the day and his Doctor had to start him on dialysis in order to keep him alive. This was a very bleak period for Ray and for all of us who loved him. He had been on the kidney donor list for a long time and relatives and close friends had been tested, but a match could not be found.

Changes were being made in the Church at this time also and a new female pastor was hired. When her husband heard about Ray’s quest for a kidney he offered to be tested and, HALLELUJIA, he was a perfect match. The operation was a great success and Ray (and the donor) are doing fine.

I often think of the “ifs” that led to Ray’s recovery…”if” he had not lost that first job, “if” he hadn’t suffered for over a year and finally found a compatible job and finally “if” they hadn’t hired a new minister with a husband who had the perfect kidney match …

In AA we refer to a Higher Power and I think Ray’s was saying “just hang in there. All these ‘ifs’ will lead you to a new life.” and it has !