0:00 [Music] welcome back to careful boys today we're talking to a gentleman who donated a kidney to his friend we've never talked to anybody like that before yeah um so there's a little backstory to that obviously cuz Ain donation is pretty serious um so when I started OG pumpkin um uh he used to be a former Ranger named rod and then he became Special Forces and um him and Rod and I were Rangers at the same time but we were different battalions and never never actually worked together um and then so when I started OG pumpkin I made a design called war is a drug and um it's it's me in a skeleton mask but it looks like a Reaper and and war is a
0:50 drug is spelled out in cocaine uh right next a machine gun and he liked that he's like bro I took it to you know um my team my team loves it and and I was making another shirt and I took the the Scarface blimp and I put a pumpkin melting on the front and then the words the world is yours in the back and he's like bro let me get the world yours t-shirt and I was like bro I I don't even have one this is just like the the mockup so he deployed and then and then he was killed in that deployment and so I was like ████ man so when the shirt dropped I gave all the money to to his widow his widow then gave it to the little brother for for college fun and at the funeral uh I I I got to know more of of of you know he's actually close group of friends so I I I came back to to California and I was you know went back to school and one of Rod's friend
1:40 he's like hey man he's like dude I got a big favorite ask from you I I Ronnie the Widow Ronnie's going to go to Virginia for a charity event I told her I was going to go but I can't man cuz he's still still active duty he's like can you go with her to Virginia for this charity event and I was like yeah yeah like when is it and he's like and he's like uh Thursday and I was like oh ████ I go back to California yeah I was like uh ████ it dude yeah yeah I'll do it so I bought my ticket I went over there and it was the the charity is called Hero games so what it is is a a CrossFit there two brothers a cross he's a CrossFit gym owner and a special forces guy and one day the CrossFit um gym owner brother was like hey man can you run my my uh students to like a like something you guys would do in selection and they did a whole day out of it and they had a barbecue and it was great and they were like hey let's do it again
2:30 every time you ask a question I get scared cuz it sounds like Hey man can can I get your kidney like something else okay I'm like Dam these guys are ████ bold and um so it they're like all right we we'll we need money to make it a little bit more better and but like the guy was like I don't want money we'll just uh give it to a widow you know so they started doing that and then for the next year that was that was Ronnie uh so I go there and I and I actually did the event it was great event great organization um and and the and Ronnie and her family actually felt like you know taken care of and loved cuz sometimes organizations take pictures with soldiers or widows and stuff like that and they don't give a ████ about them they just want that picture photo op um but she actually felt the love and I was like man it's a great organization
3:20 and and the guy was like Hey man aren't you from California and I was like yeah yeah I am he's like oh that company right there thrashing raid sponsored um this event you know they were one of the sponsors and I was like he's like you should hit them up don't you skate too and I was like yeah there better than skateboard brand uh so I flew back to California went back to school catch up on my homework and then in between the break I was like you know what let me shoot let me shoot him a message like hey thank you for for sponsoring this event and uh I was like hey I'm from California as well if if you were like hang out or skate or something like like let me know and I didn't know but I was talking to Benji Benji mbog who's a former Mara guy um Marine Raider so he's like hey I'm actually having a toy drive at uh Oceanside skate park you should come out and I was like okay so I bought some toys I went over there and I met
4:10 Benji and him and I have a lot in common we were both in the Special Operations Community we were both he wasn't a gang member but he were he he himself was in trouble uh as when he was young and and we both skate so and then I met his family and and wonderful family wonderful wonderful and and and the wife Lissa was uh um I knew she had like health issues but Benji didn't really open up about them um and then you know when working at defense strategist group and and we need quality guys with us right we're not trying to just have anybody come and join and micheel was like hey you know anybody who would be like a great fit and I'm like actually I've been hanging out with this former Marsha guy he's ████ he skates and and and we should have him on so he joined defense strategies group and then and then I got to know him a little bit more and you
5:00 you know when you know somebody and you can kind of tell something's wrong with them and and we were at work and he had this look on his face and bothering him some something's bothering him and so I asked him like Yo dude is uh what's wrong and he's like oh nothing nothing nothing and and I knew he was lying I was like bro like it's in your it's in your ████ face like I can see something something's wrong so an hour passed by and I was like bro like what the ████ is wrong like bro you it's in your face anybody can see it and and then he just ████ laid it all out you know uh you know Lissa was was stage five kidney failure through genetics you know it wasn't like something that she did like drugs or something like that he he wanted to give her a kidney he's not O positive so he he couldn't even do that and as soon as he I heard O positive right then there I was like I'm all positive I wasn't even listening to what the ████ he was saying I was like
5:50 okay I'm all positive I got to bro I'm healthy do it and I told him like bro I'll give her one you're crazy that's insane dude and the reason why did it was at that point we already known each other and Lissa remind reminds me a lot of my wife Lissa is is very supportive wife she has kids and and and and she puts the kids and everyone else before her you know and and and you know she's she's she knows I love her you know um so it was because of who she is and who Benji is Benji is is is is a guy with a good heart the family their kids are great so I was like ████ dude if I was in this position what would I want I would have want that hopefully you know someone would donate it somebody would donate you know and so she reminded me a lot of my wife and I was like I was like yeah ████ dude I'll do it so how did he take it he well he well later on he
6:41 had told me he's like I didn't think you were serious man I thought you were just kind of trying to be nice and saying it and tries to be nice like okay dud You Take My appendex Man kind cool you want they just ghost him yeah no I'm busy next Thursday now I think I was a little caught up in the moon I know I kind of need him yeah I I know I got two but there's a reason why God gave me two and then so then I asked him again I was like bro I'm ████ serious like what do I need to do he's said well you need to go to UCLA and and get the blood work done so I go they're like oh yeah you you're all positive and you meet certain markers so like yeah you want to do it and and I thought it was going to be quick um but we did a lot of exams like it was kind of cool to see that I don't have some crazy tumor growing anywhere because they did everything and
7:31 anything of medical exams a lot of extensive um um blood work and stuff like that so after eight months what did your like wife say or what did your parents say oh ████ well my wife I told her well again an Ayah of how she is and you know reminds me of and Lissa and an are basically the same person and um I told my wife I was like uh I told Benji you know I told her about Lissa and then I was like and then I told Benji that I'll give I'll donate a ky and she goes okay wow W you know because she knew Lissa at that point too you know and and and and um my mom was kind of like hesitant um my dad said he's like are you sure you know I mean you have two for a reason why did I come to
8:22 America and a lot of a lot of people I can tell were like didn't want me to or scared for me one of my friends actually dick was ████ came over right before I did the donation he's like I want to take a picture just in case you die and War doesn't kill you but the surgery will yeah that's a true dude and I was actually I laughed so hard and I was thankful I was like bro you know you're the only dude who like straight out told me that cuz some people I can tell and their look in their face and when they talk to me that they're nervous and scared for me I'm still nervous and already happened you're the only one who was a straight straight out forward like yeah you might ████ die so let me is it that risky to donate it it is but now but nowadays it's like it not necessarily routine but they're so good at it now with modern modern medicine
9:12 and stuff like that I remember I think probably like back in the day you might ████ die but now they're so good um so it was funny UCLA would not really call me I would get emails for for appointments or letters and and then so one day uh I got a letter I mean I got a call it says UCL and I was like oh ████ this might be the call you know it's not that they call me every ████ day and they're like yeah we you pass all the exams you know we um would you like to donate steal a kidney um and they asked me that a lot a lot because I didn't you sure oh I didn't know this but they have well at the time I didn't know it now I do right there's they have two teams and both teams never really meet or talk to each other I have my own team and they advocate for me and they ask me multiple times like are you sure you want to to do it because if you don't it's okay we can say something
10:04 happened and and and they don't have to know that you actually backed off they can cover for you yeah that's whoa you got a team of liars back the a you know what he got AIDS bro he can't do it his kidney's all ████ up he can't get it's something worse it's yeah you know you don't want a kidney that's what got a come on trust me dude it's all ████ up man his blood work is no good and he's like I got you I got you yeah I got you you go back and they're like we heard the news they're good people're they're good people and but and one day I just told them I was like yo can you stop ████ asking me if I want to for sure and they're like oh we're going to ask you actually the day of right before you go they have to home like we have to they're like cuz people have bailed on the on the B on the table Yeah you get
10:55 feet yeah and I was like oh ████ and I was like well anyway so they they and I was like yeah I want to do it and I and and they're like okay when and I was like tomorrow damn stop asking just get it out of me they're like I I'm off tomorrow that's true because if she has stage five it's you guys are racing Against Time Yeah 100% and uh the lady laughed when I told her tomorrow she's like well not that fast we have to we have we have to schedule it that's too fast fool I was like okay so it was uh October October 22nd right yeah um and uh so yeah we ████ I was it was funny cuz I was so scared and nervous um of it and to but it's not it wasn't a big deal cuz a lot of things I've done in my life I've been scared to be honest have you had surgeries before
11:46 this no this is your first surgery did they put you to sleep or they just like numbed you they just distracted him look over here hit a m it's like snapping they treated him like a taller at a dentist with that dude doing light tricks and ████ you know they uh yeah so it's to me when I get scared and nervous and I think about things a lot it's you're usually on the drive there something about driving it does that to me and some days I'd be like ████ man like damn crazy and other days I'd be like let's ████ do this let's go now yeah so the waiting is the worst yeah it's well plus you're going to ruin your Halloween plans October 22nd is like right before Halloween that is true Tri a treat with a ████ up kid hey but I had the best costume for it after though oh did you yeah so um so I was like okay
12:37 so that so I it's funny I was so scared of the the surgery but the surgery was the easy part I was ████ out it was the recovery that I didn't spend one second thinking about what it would look like and it was it was brutal it was the most it's been and I say brutal because of who and the type of person that I am right I'm very active uh I like I'm a I'm a protector of my family my community so it that was the recovery it was the weakest I'd ever felt it was it was the most vulnerable i' ever felt cuz you probably can't move I couldn't and you know and I couldn't ban twist or anything I couldn't put on my own shoes I couldn't shower myself did it hurt like afterwards yeah yeah yeah I mean when I woke up so the morning of it's 5:30 in the morning I show up um and it was just happened to be that Lissa was on the opposite side of me we can look at each
13:27 other prepping ourselves and they're like like okay you're you're about to go in and they're like we're going to give you a little something to calm down and they they inject me with something they take me to the operating room and um it was funny of how thin the operating table actually is but which makes sense that it wouldn't be so wide cuz then the doctors would be beaching they're like okay you got to help yourself get on the table it's really small so cent center yourself um and I Center myself and then I'm looking straight and nobody was paying attention to me everybody was doing their job right like everybody whatever their job was boom they were they were doing it you know real professionals at UCLA and um next you know I just ████ went out and then I opened my eyes and when I open my eyes dude it was the most pain I'd ever ████ felt in my entire life straight after open your eyes yeah yeah yeah and and and I'm like
14:18 ████ and and I see my wife right there and uh um were you like by Kid in please I I was but the first thing that came out of my mouth was how Lissa and the nurse there is just um she's the nurse there she wasn't my nurse like from the beginning so she was like who's Lissa she's like oh is that the that the donor or the recipient and um and then she was like oh I'm pretty sure she's fine you know and and and then after that I was like it hurts and then uh they she gave me more more stuff and then I was like it still hurts and I was crying at this point like I was L crying of how and I don't blame the nurse because I I have a high tolerance uh so that pain getting compared to like kicked in the nuts is it like is it like times 20
15:10 times times a million what about compared to KY Stones cuz I had that and I didn't even cry never had one so just saying um had to get surgery too not going to [Laughter] PR and then and then they game me more and I got sent home but but again man everything is to I couldn't twist I couldn't pick up anything more than 10 lbs so you know they're like you have to walk they're like I know it hurts but you have to have to walk and I would literally Shuffle one house over Shuffle back and it would be exhausted like just ████ exhausted wow and my four-year-old would walk with me and she'd be like you know dad hurry and you're so slow that yeah you know she'd be like Oh Come hurry and you know I couldn't hold her I couldn't hug my kids
16:01 we had to do the whole arm my four-year-old didn't quite understand I was like it's not that I don't want to hug you and I was like you have we will show her you know so we would like hug the arm only um and then I could and then I could walk down two houses right and then three and then four and then I walk more and and and and then one I once I got the green light to go it was in like oh do everything that you do go back to Jesus to go back to Muay Tha go climb ████ Mountains run the marathon it was like no now you can walk as an exercise now you can maybe do body squats and planks and and I I had no idea how um week everything had a gun I mean I remember my my how long was the recovery 12 weeks oh damn so like my my strength condition coach build me up and and my wife being knowing how I am she called my my TR
16:51 coaches and she was like look he's going to want to go 100% you have to stop him and so when went it was funny and my coach was like Angel you can't roll so I could only drill right and I was like what the ████ I got the green light I can I can roll and then and then he told me he's like he's said bro an Leo ████ talk to us and I was like oh ████ and then I went home and I told her and she goes yeah because you're not going to listen you're stupid preemptive that's a I'd be there I'd be like I got a doctor's note ████ um I'll be milking it hey guys can I get a black belt now I I gave a kidney away kidney guy right here I you know I don't if you know but I'm a hero yeah it's got to mean something in martial arts did they give you anything for that like your friends you gave them a kidney they give you
17:42 like a Marie Calendar's gift card or some ████ no no they uh Lissa's fine like she took it the the surgeon was like uh he found out that I was a ranger he's like hey he's like he's like you're you're the ranger right and I was like yeah he goes you gave her a ranger kidney he's like bro it's he didn't say bro he was like it's strong it's he's like I I guess a sign that it's taking is if she's producing urine they're like when we connected he said the the vessels oh no because I forgot that the kidney is in charge of filtering your urine he's look at his lips a little bit he's like B's like I like to taste a piss now I forgot I was like so fresh year the he said it was a healthy kidney and oh yeah oh and that it took immediately and then he was saying he's like almost within the hour there she was already producing urine wow and it
18:33 was so strong that they're like they we had to uh up her her medication because it was filtering too fast it's too strong of a kidney just a ranger kidy did he say it's a Power Ranger kidney um no that'd be funny though yellow ranger but uh bro she's she's great she she that's cool uh she's and she trains Jiu-Jitsu so and then so we both went back to Jiu-Jitsu she like a couple months later she got her purple belt um you think your kidney actually had something to do with that are you responsible genetics just went oh I remember this Jujitsu dude got a purple belt is she your like Postmates ████ for life though you're like anytime I'm hungry you go pick it up no I order you go pick it up I don't think she can I don't think she's a great like Mexican food cook I got to ask her you're like TR to S your
19:24 house or something um but it felt good you know and and I told her I was like look you're doing something for me too because um and this is uh I as I talked to Veterans I I realized that this is happening a like sometimes veterans feel or question their service like man did I do anything good what was this all for and I had those questions too but at at the end of the day I feel like we did good multiple things can can happen at once was there people financially g g you know gaining some stuff yeah yeah um was there some protection of the country yeah but there was also some ████ right and and some people can't cope with that and they feel like they got cheated from their service of wanting to do a good thing right and when I donated the kidney um or I mean before one of my
20:14 buddies who was like hey I heard you're going to donate a kidney um I actually donated one like two years ago and I was like bro ████ Sadler you didn't you didn't tell me that and he's like yeah man I I and and to be honest I I feel more proud of that than my service W and at the time that kind of like upset me to be honest cuz I was very I I'm still very proud of my service and I was like dude I was like that didn't kind of like sit well with me and I'm like how can you be more more proud of your service and but after he did that I mean after I donated then it made sense man because with the service I feel like I did do good but sometimes you know you question it but the Kenny donation there's no joke there there's no question did you directly you know who it benefited exactly see it yeah the quality of life that you gave her probably and then and then the kids man she's got four kids you know and and her so I was like I so I told her like you're doing something for me too you know you're helping me in with that of of questioning the thing
21:05 that I'm most proud of she's like and you're helping me pee yep thank you every time I pee I think about you that's those four kids are four possible donors to get your kitty back I want it back it's a feeder system right one's not doing so I think I need another one feels empty damn will you stay fit looks like you won't be getting some messed up kidneys anytime soon yeah yeah you're pretty you're really healthy yeah and um to be honest man I sometimes forget about it like I tattooed my hands I got the American flag and the Mexican flag on my hands and um uh one day one of the guys in my gym was like Hey dude like how's it healing you know and I was like oh man you know what it was it's pretty okay I I kind I kind of scratched off some of the the Stars cuz in I sleep and he goes oh that's cool but I'm talking
21:56 about your kind and I was like oh yeah that I was like no that's good like I I literally forget about it cuz life is so normal and and for her too life is normal so you didn't feel any differences in your body after having one kidney or anything like that 100% so after recovery the the kidney um is in charge of a lot of things one of is is is is filtering waste and stuff like that and keeping yourself hydrated and one of the things that I realized is that um ████ man I was peeing a lot like an old man you know I got one kidney trying to keep me hydrated and filtering things um so it took a while for it to cuz people think oh it's a kidney it's just the kidney thing but it's no the body so is a whole so my whole body felt weird and and when the surgeons told me like hey it's going to take about a year and a half for you to feel like yourself I remember thinking like bro I'm me I'm going to feel like me and and yeah about
22:48 the year and a half mark is where I really started feeling like myself and my body was more balanced and and and and understood what what the situation is now um mostly he was peeing right you pee a lot yeah so you peed more with only one kid yeah and I would wake up more pee more than ever I'm like bro I pee more than a ████ Grandpa right now hours I got to go but good streams though huh yeah remind me never getting a pee contest with you now I know smoke us and uh but yeah man it's it's it's I forget about it and and L even she told me she's like yeah to be honest I sometimes forget about it cuz life is so normal before it was it was I was nauseous of this or that or I didn't feel healthy and and and stuff like that and her ████ skin color changed like when I saw her I was like brown now I was like she's
23:39 becom hey that's a serious question I was like Hey technically you like me part Mexican now you know now she could say you know what I took a 23 of me and for some reason I'm like 10% Mexican what's her what was her ethnicity she's Korean so so she's Korean uh Benji's uh Filipino um and uh yeah so we we joke all time I was like hey I think what do you think she's like I think so I like I think I'm part Mexican out and I was like bro I think you are that's awesome
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