"Without her, I wouldn't be here": Major League player Ed Hearn receives kidney donation from Minneapolis woman

Jul 21, 2023

By John Lauritsen

August 3, 2023 / 6:05 PM / CBS Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS -- From a World Series champion, to needing a kidney transplant to stay alive. That's the life for former Major Leaguer, Ed Hearn.

But thanks to a Minneapolis woman, Hearn's future is as bright as ever.

"I got more out of baseball than people who play 15 years in the big leagues," he said.

It's a statement that says a lot about Hearn's life. As a rookie catcher, he won a World Series with the New York Mets in 1986, but was out of the league just a couple years later due to injuries.

"A year and a half after my playing career, everything went south," said Hearn.

Injuries were followed by kidney failure, dialysis and his first kidney transplant. Hearn took it all in stride by becoming an author and a keynote speaker.

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"To me, that's really what saved me from that big loss. Some men say it's like going from the penthouse to the outhouse….but back again. But the back is the best part of my story," said Hearn.

But his comeback was marred by the need for two more transplants, and last year as yet another kidney failed him, Hearn wondered if time was running out. Because of his previous transplants, doctors said over 90% of donors would not be a match.

"There's always urgency when your kidney is failing because you could end up on dialysis at the drop of a dime," said Dr. Raja Kandaswamy, with M Health Fairview at University of Minnesota's Medical Center.

This is where that World Series ring comes into play. A Mets fan stepped up to the plate, eager to give Hearn her kidney. Unfortunately, she wasn't a match. Still, by doing that she got Hearn a transplant voucher - putting him on the National Kidney Registry.

"They get an IOU basically, that the kidney will be given to you," said Dr. Kandaswamy. "Within three months we were able to find a perfect match from a young donor."

That young donor was 26-year-old Jamie Klein-Rye, A UPS worker from Minneapolis.

"I always wanted to make a difference in people's lives. Even if it's just one person," said Klein-Rye.

Klein-Rye had watched a documentary on kidney dialysis and decided she wanted to help someone, anyone, by giving them one of her kidneys.

"I realized I really, really wanted to do this. I would have been heartbroken if they said no," said Klein-Rye.

Against all odds, she was a perfect match for Hearn, who drove from his home in Kansas City to the U of M Medical Center in May. That's where the transplant took place though Klein-Rye and Hearn never saw each other during their surgeries.

"Without her, I wouldn't be here. There's no doubt," said Hearn.

On Tuesday, he and his wife once again drove from their home in Kansas City to Minneapolis to meet the donor who saved his life.

A special moment that turned into a special connection.

"I personally thank you so much because you gave us back our life," said Trish Hearn, Ed's wife.

"I'm very happy to hear that honestly. That's what I wanted to do when I did this," said Klein-Rye.

As Hearn and Klein-Rye recover, about the only concern she has is that her kidney went from being a Vikings fan to a Kansas City Chiefs fan; that's Hearn's favorite team.

"It's insanely gratifying. It's indescribable. It makes me feel over the moon and it's everything I had hoped for," said Klein-Rye.

"When we can make a difference in other people's lives, to me, that's the key to life," said Hearn.

This was Hearn's fourth kidney transplant but because this one came from a living donor, doctors believe it will last him a long time.

Hearn and Klein-Rye want to thank the doctors at M Health Fairview and the U of M Medical Center for making this possible.

John Lauritsen is an Emmy award-winning reporter from Montevideo, Minn. He joined WCCO-TV in late-July of 2007. Two days after he started, the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed.

First published on August 3, 2023 / 6:05 PM

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