Joey Richman and Mike Miller are surrounded by their mothers in a patient room at Tampa General Hospital.

“So what are they doing and why are you going home?” Joey’s mother Dana asked as she felt Mike’s forehead.

  • Joey Richman has a rare genetic condition that destroyed his kidneys
  • Mike Miller read about him on our site and contacted him
  • The men recently underwent kidney donation surgery

“I don’t think you should be going home,” Mike’s mother Kelley Abear said as she pressed her hand against Mike’s face.

“No, no it’s back down to 98 or something,” Mike said, feeling his own forehead.

It’s a common exchange between the two families as each mother has inherited a new son. Kelley brought in homemade soup with enough for both boys and Dana. Dana fussed over Mike and asked for ice water to cool him down.

Joey and Mike met less than two months ago. Joey and his mother Dana had turned to social media and the news to find Joey a new kidney. Joey has a condition called Alport’s syndrome that destroyed his kidneys and affected his hearing. The condition is genetic, so Joey needed the help of a stranger.

Mike Miller, a Tampa MMA fighter, read about the story on our website and wanted to donate his kidney. His mother Kelley was a little worried about her son taking such a risk.

“I just said 'Lord, if it’s not meant to be then you’ll stop this process,’ ” Kelley said. “And every time, (Mike said) ‘Mom, my blood matches. Mom, they did the scans, my heart’s fine.’ Everything down the line and it went so fast. So how can you be upset?”

Kelley knew her son was a good judge of character and made good decisions.

“I knew if he loved them, then we would love them,” she said.

And that love was powerful.

“What’s happened between the families and the relationships,” Dana said. “Mike’s given Joey life in more than one way.”

Joey and Mike had their surgeries Wednesday. Both men are recovering well and should go home soon – but that’s not the end of their recovery.

“It’ll be six weeks before I can pick up any weight more than 10 pounds,” Mike said. “Eight weeks until I can go back to work.”

Joey’s recovery will take longer, but expects to be back to campus at USF finishing his biology degree. Once done with undergrad, he wants to go to medical school to become a surgeon. Though Joey has a long road ahead, he’s already feeling the best he’s felt in years.

“I feel like I used to ten years ago,” he said. “My mind is a lot sharper.”

The families are ready for the future. A future Joey will now have, because of Mike’s gift. But Mike’s kidney is just the start of what this has become.

“The situation has gotten so much bigger than Joey and I,” Mike said. “People have seen a glimmer of what people can be to each other. That there’s good left, and I think that’s the best part.”

To help with medical bills and other related expenses, the families have set up two GoFundMe accounts. One account is set up for Joey, as Dana will be out of work while she cares for him, and the other is set up for Mike, who can’t work for at least two months.

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