On April 7, Brian Moushon celebrated an anniversary unlike any other. It didn’t involve cake or candles but it did mark five life-changing years since the kidney transplant that gave him a second chance at living.
“You know, who knows where my life would have gone,” Brian said. “My daughter’s getting married in October. Because of my donor I know for sure I’m going to be there. And I hope to see grandchildren, too.”
It’s a future that, not long ago, felt uncertain.
For years, Brian had been living with high blood pressure, which eventually led to kidney failure. He’d resisted treatment for a long time, driven by fear. “I thought if I buried my head in the sand, it would go away,” he said. That fear kept him from getting help until 2015, when his condition became critical. Exhausted, foggy-minded, and battling painful flare-ups of gout, Brian began dialysis.
Dialysis became his new normal: four-hour sessions, three days a week. Over the next four years, he would spend more than 8,500 hours on a machine keeping him alive. “You honestly get to a point where you wonder how long you can hold out,” he said. “Dialysis starts to get really rough.”
Even as he endured the physical toll, Brian had to make another major change. To be eligible for a transplant, he needed to lose more than 100 pounds. He underwent surgery and completely transformed his lifestyle, eventually dropping from 344 pounds to under 200.
In March 2020, he finally got the call he’d been waiting for: a kidney match at UAB Hospital in Birmingham. Brian and his family made the late-night drive to the hospital, hearts full of hope. But just before surgery, that kidney was given to another patient who needed both a kidney and a liver.
“All that elation and excitement went to despair,” Brian said. But he leaned on his faith, believing that if the kidney wasn’t meant for him, something else was.
He was right.
A few days later, a tragic accident claimed the life of David, a cyclist and family friend of Brian’s brother-in-law. David’s wife made the generous decision to donate his organs and against all odds, Brian was a match. On April 7, 2020, he underwent a successful kidney transplant.
“I can’t tell you how thankful I am for this gift,” Brian said. “It’s a real tough thing to swallow knowing someone’s life was taken too soon and I was going to benefit from that. Every step along the way, I have prayed for David. I’ve prayed for his wife and his kids. I feel a sense of gratitude, and I feel a sense of obligation to him to live a good life.”
Since then, Brian has been doing just that, living a full life, staying connected with family and community, and sharing his story with others. “It’s amazing how many people I’ve met through all of this who’ve never even considered getting on the transplant list,” he said. “I speak out about what I’ve gone through because someone out there might be where I was, scared, uncertain, and waiting too long.”
Brian is no longer waiting. He’s living.
Thanks to the courage of a donor family and the support of his loved ones, Brian’s journey continues. Five years post-transplant, he’s looking forward to walking his daughter down the aisle and — hopefully someday — welcoming grandkids into the world.
Five years down, and many more to go thanks to organ donation.
You have the power to give someone a second chance at life, just like Brian received.
Register today to become an organ, eye, and tissue donor. It only takes a minute, but your decision could mean life or death for someone else.
