By Andy Furman
NKyTribune Reporter
Dreams do come true.
And so do miracles.
Just ask Byron Wolfe.
“I have received many, many great Christmas gifts in my life,” he said, “But this Christmas is the most special gift of all.”
It was great friends – a brave good man, and most of all God, he said, gave his life back.
“Here I sit, home on Christmas eve from five days in the hospital receiving a living kidney from my new brother in Vincennes, Indiana.
“A greater gift doesn’t exist. I am awed that the doctors and nurses have the ability to transplant something like this kidney, but they did an incredible feat and the surgery was a great success.”
What those doctors and nurses at Christ Hospital did was give Byron Wolfe, the 69-year-old resident of Villa Hills a new life.
It’s been quite the journey for Wolfe, who spent three-days-a-week at he Davita Dialysis Center in Crestview Hills for three-hour treatments.
Wolfe’s journey was aided by a good friend – Kelly Hansen, the lead singer of the rock band, Foreigner.
“I’m well-known in the gourmet industry,” Wolfe said, “and Kelly is a gourmet cook. We’ve been friends for some time.”
Wolfe is in sales management with Market Force.
So, it was a natural that a friend reached out for a friend.
Hansen posted a plea for his friend Byron Wolfe on his Instagram account – and Byron’s wife took that social media post – put it on her Facebook account and viola – call this miracle No. 1.
“We received a message from one of Carla’s (Byron’s wife) elementary school friends,” Byron said. “They live in Vincennes, Ind., and said they would be visiting Cincinnati with family, and asked if we wanted to have breakfast together. Sure, we hadn’t seen them in a year.”
The visitors showed at the Wolfe’s home on a Sunday morning in early May – this after reading Carla’s re-post of Hansen’s message.
“They came in, sat down, and we rehashed old, fun times we had together in the past,” Wolfe said.
The conversation came full-circle around to Byron’s failed kidneys and he told his breakfast guests – Duke and Joanna – that Dialysis is no fun, but it beats the alternative.
“We discussed the letter that Foreigner had put on his Instagram and how neat it was to get that endorsement,” he said.
Then, according to Byron – Duke started to get teary-eyed and he asked if he could do him a favor.
“Duke asked me to tell the staff at my Dialysis that I would not be needing them anymore. He told me I had found a donor –and it was him.
“I was in shock then – and I’m still in shock when I think about it,” said Wolfe. “I was up all that night crying for joy.”
So, a donor shows up on the doorstep with life-changing news.
Just in time for Christmas.
“Thank you to all my friends who prayed so much for me. I love you all,” he said.
“I’m a firm believer in The Lord and prayer,” he said.
And Foreigner.
Merry Christmas – Byron Wolfe.
This one you won’t forget.