BALTIMORE — From rivals to friends, it's a story as old as time.
That's the case for James Harris, Jr., of Glen Burnie, a long-time pool player. He didn't tell his fellow players he had kidney failure, was on dialysis and needed a transplant.
Things were looking bleak until his one-time pool "enemy" became a living kidney donor in a transplant procedure at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).
An act of kindness that linked these two men forever.
10 years ago, James played against Russ Redhead in a high-stakes pool tournament. The prize was an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas.
The rules of the game required Redhead to give James a 20 point advantage, a handicap that decided the game. Redhead was so mad he lost, he went on Facebook to complain about James.
Over time, Redhead slowly discovered James was actually a pretty cool guy, but had no idea he needed a kidney transplant.
James had mild kidney disease for year, but COVID destroyed his kidneys, leading to dialysis three times a week to stay alive. He was placed on the UMMC transplant waiting list.
His wife, Denise Epps-Harris, who works at UMMC, became his primary caregiver.
Here's where the story gets interesting.
About a year ago, Denise started sharing James' need for a kidney donation on a pool group Facebook page. She just so happened to meet Redhead at a pool event and explained the situation.
Redhead immediately said: "I can do it." He went through nearly a year of tests, but in the end, turned out to be a perfect match for James.
"It takes a great guy to do something like that for a friend, that he didn't like from the beginning":
When asked why he decided to do it, Redhead said: "I feel like it's just the right thing to do."
Watch Redhead explain his decision:
On February 8, 2024 the transplant was successful at UMMC.
Both men are recovering well the hospital said.