CORYDON, Ind. — During halftime of a basketball game in February 2020, Corydon High School Basketball Coach Chase Best was surprised with the news that he would receive a new kidney.
His condition had worsened in January, and after spending years on the donor list, he found his old basketball coach was a match.
As the date of his surgery approached, the threat of COVID-19 grew globally. Three weeks before his scheduled transplant, the surgery was put on hold. He had no idea when he would get the chance to receive his new kidney.
On April 8, he and his wife Heather woke up to an early call from a nurse telling them there was a kidney available for Chase. The next day, he was able to get his new kidney.
"He has his color back. I feel like there was life in his eyes. Of course, I got off the phone and wept like a baby. He just looked so good and sounded good. I know he's in a lot of pain, like surgery pain. But he even said, 'I feel different. I know I'm in pain, but I feel so good,'” Heather told WHAS.
PREVIOUS STORIES:
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.