Beloved longtime Eastern Hancock retired teacher and local entertainer Darry Hood relaxes with one of his favorite guitars in 2021. Facing Stage 4 kidney failure, Hood recently learned that he’ll be getting a new kidney from an anonymous organ donor.
Daily Reporter file photo
GREENFIELD — Darryl “Darry” Hood got the phone call earlier this winter from a member of his organ transplant team. She told him she had good news.
After about eight months, a living donor was determined to be eligible to give Hood one of their kidneys to make up for his two that were only working at 18% efficiency.
Hood called for his wife of 55 years, Sue, to tell her the good news before continuing the phone conversation.
“We stood and cried about three minutes before I could get my composure up,” he said.
And perhaps most overwhelming of all is that Hood has no idea who the donor is, and the donor may not even know him personally, as they are remaining anonymous.
“That is a tremendous thing for possibly a stranger that’s healthy to give up a kidney for somebody they may not even know, that may prolong my life and improve my life,” he said. “That’s just unbelievable; that’s just such an awesome gesture.”
It’s given the 77-year-old Greenfield resident a new lease on life as he looks forward to getting his new organ in the coming weeks.
Hood taught science to eighth-grade and high school students at Eastern Hancock for over 40 years. He also performs music, comedy and magic.
His kidney problems started about six years ago. The battle has included an eight-day hospital stay with a potassium level so high it put him in critical condition. He underwent surgery that removed an estimated 150 to 200 kidney stones from one of his kidneys.
He said his kidneys have remained at about 18% efficiency for a while. If they dropped to 10%, he’d have to go on dialysis.
Hood’s kidney issues eventually put him on a transplant list. He had the option to go with a deceased donor, an estimated four-to-five-year wait. He chose to wait for a living donor, which could happen at any time.
The National Kidney Foundation provided him with regular updates for the web page set up for him that those interested in donating could visit. Over 50 people pursued becoming a donor for him.
But the requirements are stringent. Potential donors are disqualified if overweight, diabetic, have had cancer, have undergone chemotherapy or are on certain medications. Several of his former students reached out to tell him they tried but didn’t make the cut for one reason or another.
On Feb. 9, Hood learned his donor made it through the process from start to finish “with flying colors.” They’re healthy and have led a healthy lifestyle, he said.
Hood said it’s difficult to determine what he’d tell the donor if he knew who they were and could speak with them.
“‘Thank you’ just doesn’t cut it,” he said. “It’s given me a whole new outlook. It’s just an overwhelming, euphoric feeling that somebody would step forward and do this for you.”
Sue, whom he calls his “rock,” agreed.
“It’s very humbling, very humbling when you stop and think about it,” she said. “That somebody would do that and go through all of that.”
He goes to Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis for his pre-operation later this month and is slated for surgery in April.
Hood said he gets tired a lot, but his kidney problems seem to have done little to his energy or sense of humor. He was in his garage studio working on a new song when he stopped to share the news about his upcoming transplant, cracking jokes all the while.
“I was serious once, on a Tuesday,” he said. “I didn’t care for it. Life’s too short not to have fun.”
