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kidney transplant

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Strangers, then friends. And lifelong football rivals.

As we head into the rivalry-packed weekend leading up to the Super Bowl, a story of friendship and shared passion—and now, internal organs—between two opposing fans seems all too apropos.

Billy Welsh is a hardcore fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. John Gladwell, on the other hand, is avidly rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs. Welsh and Gladwell first met nearly 20 years ago while serving in the Marines.

They didn’t immediately hit it off . Gladwell, with years of experience under his belt and ready to come home, came across as “mean” to Welsh. Similarly, Gladwell wasn’t fond of the incoming recruit’s high energy.

Still, there was no bad blood between them. Though they didn’t actually speak to one another after going their separate ways, they did keep in touch through Facebook from time to time, as people are wont to do these days.

Then, in 2019, their friendship went beyond the occasional like or comment when Welsh wrote on Facebook, “Anyone got a spare kidney? Mine are junk.”

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