By David Jones
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ST. CLOUD, Florida (WESH) — A St. Cloud veteran is hopeful a potential kidney donor will come forward before he has to begin dialysis.
Retired Army Master Sergeant Owen McCurty served from 1983 to 2003.
An Army brat born in Germany with a father also in the Army, McCurty joined up after graduating high school.
He would go on to serve in various roles as an ammunitions specialist, notably serving a tour in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq as well as two overseas tours in Korea and Germany.
After retiring from military service, McCurty went on to become a veterans employment representative in Washington state, helping fellow veterans land jobs and translate their skills to a corporate setting.
“When service members were transitioning out of the Army, I would help them with their resume, and I would go out and build relationships with the Boeings, the Googles, the Microsoft’s and other companies in the Puget Sound area,” he said.
“When you serve that long, it’s in your blood.”
McCurty, a father of two, moved to Osceola County in 2019.
He’s volunteered with Meals on Wheels and on a sheriff’s community advisory board.
But he said the toughest mission of his life has been finding a kidney donor.
“About 20 years ago, I started having kidney issues. I went, had a physical and the doctor noticed that my creatinine in my kidneys were high,” he said.
“I’m not on dialysis yet, but I’m getting close to it. I’ve been praying very hard lately, and hopefully somebody comes forward to donate a kidney to me.”
A longtime bodybuilder, even at 60 years old, McCurty still stays in shape.
He said his visit to a doctor three weeks ago inspired him to come forward and ask for help.
“[The doctor] told me to tell the story in the community, he said you’re giving back in your community, and by you telling your story in the community, hopefully somebody will step forward to help you because you’re always giving back,” McCurty said.
Initially, he said he was hesitant.
“The person that I am, the human being that I am, when you’re always giving, your state of mind is to give,” he said. “It’s hard and it’s very humbling to ask for something from someone.”
He’s working with an organization called Dove, which in turn works to facilitate kidney transplants for veterans.
“Someone stepping forward to integrate themselves in my journey and giving me something, it would mean the world to me,” McCurty said.
If you’re interested in helping McCurty, you can call 407-303-3626 or visit ahlivingdonor.com.
This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.
