Monday, November 23rd 2015, 10:15 pm
When UPS changed its slogan to "United Problem Solvers" earlier this year, the company probably didn't expect one driver, Jason Henley, to take the motto so literally.
Henley is known for putting a lot of heart into his route and under the right circumstances, even a kidney.
"Whenever I hear a need, I want to fill the need," Henley said while preparing to make the most important delivery of his life.
He does not need his shiny brown truck or perfectly pressed uniform for this one.
Instead, he is relying on good doctors and faith in his decision to donate an organ to one of his customers.
"He's sick and needs to get to feeling better," Henley said.
It's customer service at its finest.
Henley met Greg Hall while working as his courier.
Hall worked at a store on Henley's route in northwest Oklahoma City.
When Henley made stops there, the two would chat casually, but didn't seem to have much in common.
But they say divine intervention led to a turning point in their friendship.
About a year ago, Henley started noticing Hall was not on the route as often.
"He [Hall] kept going to the doctor and I realized this is serious," Henley said.
Henley soon learned Hall had been diagnosed with kidney failure.
"I was preparing myself for being on a machine for the rest of my life," Hall said.
That's when Henley approached him about being a donor.
"I blew him off at first, thinking, 'Why would you want to give me a kidney?'" Hall said.
Henley said the answer is simple: God called on him to donate his organ.
So, despite his fears, he picked up a donor questionnaire.
"It took me awhile to fill it out because I knew that if I filled it out ... everything was going to work out, everything was going to be lined up to happen," Henley cried.
Sure enough, compatibility tests showed the two were a match.
"I was just praising God and thanking him, for just the opportunity ... for giving me hope," Hall said.
Through several months of tests, the two formed a special bond, so strong that on September 21, the day of surgery, Henley became emotional when talking about his new friend.
"I hope I get a chance to hug him [Hall] before the surgery," Henley said.
Henley received that hug before heading into surgery; a moment filled with emotion, gratitude, and some anxiety.
"There is a lot of pressure for the donor family, and for the recipient family, and that in turn puts a lot of pressure on me and my staff, " Dr. Scott Samara said.
He and his son, Shea Samara, MD, routinely perform kidney transplants together at Integris Baptist Medical Center.
Both doctors said they recognized the sacrifice Henley is making to help someone else and they applaud him for it.
"I'm always amazed at how a person comes forth just out of the love for mankind," Samara said.
Perhaps, no one is more astonished than Hall and his family.
"Jason has been such a blessing to me and my family," Hall's wife said as she cried before a family prayer.
"This is a new beginning," Hall said as doctors rush him off to the operating room.
It's a six hour procedure; three hours to remove the healthy kidney from Henley, and another three to transplant it in Hall.
Samara is the first to tell a full waiting room; the delivery was a success.
"He [Hall] is doing just fine," Samara said.
Henley is also in recovery. He has one less kidney, but no less heart.
"I believe that people matter to God, and if they matter to him, they should matter to me," Henley said.
November 23rd, 2015
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