Former NBA player Nate Robinson, who spent 10 seasons in the world’s best league playing for as many as eight teams (Knicks, Celtics, Thunder, Warriors, Bulls, Nuggets, Clippers and Pelicans), has revealed that thousands of people have offered to donate a kidney to him and has shown his gratitude for doing so.
The 5’10” point guard went down in history for winning three NBA dunk contests (2006, 2009 and 2010), and in 2023 he publicly shared his battle with kidney failure, which was putting an expiration date on his life.
“Later in life, when I get a kidney, I’ll look back and think, ‘Damn, I really went through all this.’ That kidney I receive I’m going to cherish. I’m going to treat it like a baby. I’m going to do everything I’m supposed to do,” he explained to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.
Dialysis several times a week
Robinson revealed that it had been years since both of his kidneys had been failing, forcing him to undergo dialysis several times a week.
“I don’t have long to live if I don’t get a kidney,” he said publicly a year ago, in a desperate cry for help that surprised fans, former teammates and athletes in general, as he had been known for his great athletic ability throughout his career.
For Robinson, finding a donor has been a challenge. Despite his fame and resources, he had to deal with the complexities of the healthcare system and the extensive procedures required to get on a donor waiting list. his public plea for help highlighted the systemic problems faced by many people with similar health crises.
One actor’s story gave him hope
The story of Reginald Ballard, an actor known for his roles in the sitcoms ‘Martin’ and ‘The Bernie Mac Show’ and who overcame kidney failure through a kidney exchange, illustrates the possibilities available to Robinson that, despite his fame and good financial position, he was previously unaware of.
Ballard‘s wife donated a kidney on her husband’s behalf, allowing him to receive one in exchange through the National Kidney Registry, a process that took less than a year. Inspired by these stories, Robinson hopes to find a donor match soon.
Physical, emotional and mental battle
Robinson‘s battle has not only been physical, but also emotional and mental. He described periods of deep depression and isolation, particularly during the first year of his dialysis treatments.
However, the support of friends, family and even strangers has been an important source of strength for him.
Robinson continues to work on his health, maintaining a strict diet and exercise regimen to prepare his body for a possible transplant. The massive response to his plea for help has given him motivation to keep fighting and hope to keep waiting for that lifesaving kidney.
The clock is ticking and the life expectancy of patients undergoing dialysis for kidney failure is between five and 10 years.