The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rivals now ‘Kidney Buddies for Life’
They were friends until it soured. Then one needed a transplant.
James Harris Jr. and Russ Redhead were friendly adversaries in pool halls around Maryland and Pennsylvania over the years, competing in tournaments for cash, vacations and local acclaim.
But when Harris beat Redhead for an all-expenses paid trip to an international pool tournament in Las Vegas 10 years ago, their rivalry took a bitter turn, Harris said.
Under the rules of the game, because Redhead played at a higher skill level, Harris was given a 20-point handicap advantage during their contest at The Bank Shot Bar and Grill in Laurel, Maryland. Harris said that Redhead was so upset about his loss that he went on Facebook to vent.
“He blasted me all over the place, saying I was cheating the system and had been given an unfair rating,” said Harris, 54, of Glen Burnie, Maryland.
“I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I wasn’t very kind,” added Redhead, 42, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “When people started defending James, I realized I’d made a big mistake.”
Redhead eventually apologized to Harris, he said, and now, a decade later, he has found another way to make up for his angry outburst.
On Feb. 8, the Marine veteran donated one of his kidneys to Harris at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.
The night before the transplant, Redhead stayed at Harris’ place, and the men played a game of pool in the basement.
“We were playing nine ball, and I’d won the first two games for 30 bucks,” recalled Harris. “Russ had only 10 bucks left, so he told me he’d play the last game for a kidney.”
It was a long journey for Harris and Redhead to become close enough that they now wear matching T-shirts that say “Kidney Buddies for Life.”
“What do you say to someone who would do something so life-changing for you?” Harris said.
“I’m happy that I could help save James’ life and give him more time to enjoy his family and play pool,” Redhead added.
“I just knew it was the right thing to do.”
His decision to donate a kidney was set in motion in November 2022 when he ran into Harris’ wife, Denise Epps-Harris, at a pool tournament and learned that she’d recently posted on social media that James had endstage kidney disease and desperately needed an organ donor. His kidneys had been failing for several years.
“Knowing James was a very private person, I knew he wouldn’t necessarily tell people about his situation,” Epps-Harris said.
“So I did everything I could to get the word out.”
Although James continued to play pool, he was so ill that he’d quit his truck driving job because he needed frequent dialysis treatments, Epps-Harris told Redhead, noting that she and others in the family weren’t compatible donors.
Harris had been on the United Network for Organ Sharing transplant list for about two years, and the average wait time for a matching deceased donor’s kidney is three to five years.
An organ from a living donor was her husband’s best option, she said.
Redhead said he was stunned to learn that one of his toughest competitors was in need.
“I had no clue that he’d been going through all of this,” Redhead said.
“James isn’t one to tell people if he’s having problems. Like a lot of men, he doesn’t like to show his emotions.”
At that moment, Redhead said, he made a decision.
“Denise was telling me what was involved in being a living donor, and in my head, I’m going, ‘OK, check, I’ve got that,” he said.
“I told Denise, ‘I can do it. I want to get tested and see if I can donate my kidney.’”
When Epps-Harris started crying and asked if he was serious, Redhead said, he assured her that he was. He went through testing to see if he was a good donor for Harris, and learned late last year that he was an excellent match.
“The way I was raised, when you can do something for someone, you just do it,” he said.
“Except for the recovery time, this wasn’t going to affect me. Do I really need two kidneys when I can save a friend’s life with one?”
Harris was elated when his transplant coordinator called with the good news.
“I hadn’t wanted to get my hopes up about Russ or anybody else being a donor, so I told Denise not to give me details about how the testing was going,” Harris said. “When I heard that (Redhead) was a direct match, it was the best possible surprise.”
The transplant was a success and both men were up and walking around the hospital one day after surgery, said Richard Ugarte, a transplant nephrologist who helped manage Harris’ care.
Harris said that within hours of returning home from the hospital, he felt energetic enough to return to his basement for a quick game of pool.
“They wanted me up and moving, so I told them, ‘This is moving,’” he said.
At some point, he plans to accept his kidney buddy’s offer to play a game or two at the new pool hall Redhead plans to open later this month in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Redhead said he’ll be ready whenever Harris shows up.
“We’ll always be rivals,” he said. “But who knows? It would also be fun to join up as a team.”