From donor to recipient, it takes a team of dedicated professionals to carry hope through the storm.

For two-time kidney transplant recipient Doug Floyd, life has always been marked by health challenges. Born with one stunted kidney and battling severe high blood pressure, Doug lost his troubled kidney as a child, only to discover years later that his remaining kidney was also diseased. For decades, doctors managed his symptoms with strict diets and medication until, in 2005, his kidney finally failed. The following year, Doug received his first kidney transplant — a gift that sustained him for 15 years. But in 2021, Doug was hospitalized with COVID-19. Complications, including a severe stomach bleed that required blood transfusions, ultimately damaged his transplanted kidney.

Back on dialysis, Doug tried to adjust. Then, in 2022, tragedy struck again: his family home was destroyed in a fire.

Despite exhaustion and loss, Doug pressed forward with his ministry as pastor of a small church. Eventually, he returned to the University of Tennessee Medical Center to begin the evaluation for a second transplant. At first, hope came from a friend of a friend who offered to donate her kidney. While she wasn’t a direct match, her selflessness through the National Paired Kidney Exchange Program (KPD) saved seven lives. Doug often shares this story as encouragement for others waiting: “Even if you can’t directly help your loved one, you could save someone else — maybe several others.”

In January 2024, as a major snowstorm swept across Tennessee, Doug received a call from the transplant center: a kidney might be available. The storm was already barreling toward Knoxville, so his doctor urged him to get to the hospital early. Just an hour after Doug arrived, the highways around the medical center were shut down.

The question loomed: would the kidney make it through the storm?

Behind the scenes, hospital staff and transplant teams worked hand in hand. Rebecca Jarvis, a UTMC transplant nurse at the time, maintained constant contact with the transport company to ensure that the kidney from Colorado arrived safely at the UT Medical Center. As the weather worsened and drivers turned back, she remained firm: “That kidney’s got to get here. Someone’s life depends on it.” While the transplant team prepared Doug for surgery, the clock ticked. Every minute mattered. Finally, despite the storm and the risks of transport delays, the kidney arrived — and the operating room erupted with relief and excitement. Doug compared the moment to “scoring the winning touchdown,” with the kidney as the game ball.

The surgery was a success. Against all odds, the kidney began working immediately. Doug was not only freed from dialysis but was also able to stop taking blood pressure medication altogether. Doug is quick to credit the extraordinary teamwork that made his transplant possible.

“The staff were incredible,” he said. “They checked in on me regularly, before and after the transplant. During the storm, they stayed at the hospital overnight to make sure everything was ready. I don’t even know how they got home after.”

This kind of around-the-clock commitment is at the heart of the hospital–OPO partnership. Together, the hospital and transplant teams honor donor heroes and their families while ensuring every organ has the best chance to save a life — no matter the time of day, no matter the weather. Now celebrating more than a year since his second transplant, Doug describes his recovery as life-changing. “Everything is better. I’ve had more energy than I’ve had in years. My skin color came back, my face filled out, and I even started weightlifting again — something I hadn’t done since high school. It feels like I’ve come back to life.”

Today, Mr. Floyd shares his story at speaking engagements, including serving as the keynote speaker at the annual Donate Life Month Donor Remembrance Ceremony, hosted in partnership with Tennessee Donor Services and UTMC. More than anything, Doug treasures the extra time with his wife and the chance to continue his ministry. “After everything we’ve been through, that’s the greatest gift.”

“A second chance at life means I get to be with my wife, my church, and my community.”

Doug also has a message for others waiting: “If you’re deciding between dialysis and getting a transplant, go for the transplant if you can. It’s the best thing in the world. And if you’re considering helping someone, look into the paired match program — you could change so many lives.”

Rain, sleet, or snow, Doug’s story is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when hospitals, OPOs, and donor families come together to make the gift of life a reality.

#BetheGift Connections Podcast

Be sure to check out our latest #BetheGift Connections Podcast episode airing Tuesday, September 16th, as Doug Floyd and Rebecca Jarvis discuss the road to his kidney transplant, and what a second chance at life means to them and so many other families.

#BeTheGift Connections is a series of monthly programs designed to inform and connect the public to lifesaving stories of organ donation and transplantation.

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