Local football coach gets Christmas kidney miracle

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. — For many years, Bruce Pugh lived with the knowledge that, one day, his kidneys would give out because of a chronic, deteriorating condition.

About a year ago, Pugh, a long-time youth football coach in North Attleborough, began experiencing fatigue and other symptoms indicating the end of normal kidney function was near. Pugh’s only hope for survival was a kidney transplant -- a surgery which he soon learned could be filed under ‘easier said than done.’

For one thing, there’s a chronic shortage of donor organs. And then there is the issue of compatibility.

“My blood type is O,” Pugh said. “So I had to receive only O.”

In addition, Pugh had antibodies in his system that made finding a match extra hard.

Still, local organizations worked hard to find a donor. Two local football clubs organized a social media campaign which pulled in more than 130 potential donors for testing.

“Unfortunately, there was not a match,” Pugh said. “Every time the doctor called and said that there was no match I didn’t think I would ever get a match. I thought the end was coming for me. I thought out of a hundred plus people there would be at least one match, and it kept coming back no match, no match.”

Doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital suggested Pugh enroll in a program that partners willing -- though incompatible -- kidney donors with transplant recipients -- in the hope of finding on a national database a compatible pair.

Pugh turned to his long-time friend, Bill McDavitt, to be his partner. McDavitt previously tested as an incompatible donor for Pugh -- but was willing to do what he could to help save his friend’s life.

“When he came back to me and asked if I could be a donor partner with him because he couldn’t find a direct match, and this was the best opportunity for him, it was something I was excited to do,” said McDavitt, who has known Pugh since their children were in kindergarten, some 17 years ago.

“I had to go through extensive testing to make sure I was healthy enough to donate a kidney,” McDavitt said.

Last month, just before Christmas, McDavitt did donate a kidney -- to an unknown recipient. At the same time, Pugh received a kidney from that recipient’s healthy partner.

“We were able, then, to trade kidneys,” Pugh said. “Bill gave his kidney and saved a life -- and by giving his kidney I got a kidney and he saved my life, as well.”

McDavitt and Pugh are both healing up from their respective surgeries at home.

“I was sore,” said McDavitt. “I was tired. I’m still tired a lot. But getting better every day.” But Doctors tell him that having one kidney instead of two, shouldn’t change anything for him.

“I want to go running,” Pugh said. “I want to go walking. I want to do the things that I didn’t want to do before or couldn’t do before, because I was just too tired. So I’m starting to feel the impact of the new kidney, in a positive way. It’s a life-changer for me. I feel it physically and I feel it mentally.”

Pugh isn’t sure if he’ll be cleared to coach any time soon. He has to avoid crowds because the anti-rejection drugs he is now taking make him more vulnerable to infections. But he did hear from his players when he was in the hospital.

“I actually used my kidney situation as an opportunity to teach the kids about adversity,”: Pugh said. “Things aren’t always going to be easy. Sometimes things aren’t going to work the way you expect them to work. When I saw kids dogging it or not working as hard as I know they could, I would say, look, here’s how I’m feeling right now. I had to go to work today and then I had to come here. And my body’s telling me I can’t but I did and I’m here because of you.”

Pugh knows he is now here, in no small part, because of his friend, Bill McDavitt.

“Saving a life is something that you can’t match... you can’t put words on it,” Pugh said.

“Once you receive it, it’s very hard to find a word to express to Bill. “Thank you” from me is not enough. Because it’s an extraordinary thing for someone to do.”

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2022 Cox Media Group