Kidney Donor Saves the Life of Former Wildcat

Kidney disease almost took the life of a former Kentucky Wildcat. Now Jody Thompson is alive and well thanks to the generosity of another former Eastern Kentucky basketball star.

From the small town of Mothcard, Thompson led Feds Creek to the 15th Region finals in 1990. His heroics caught the eye of Rick Pitino. Thompson accepted an offer to walk-on at UK. He played in five games for the Wildcats before returning to mountains to score more than 2,000 points at Pikeville College.

His basketball career led him to the person that would save his life.

Diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary disease that affected most of his family, Thompson was forced to find a donor after a Christmas Day health scare. After two potential donors failed compatability tests, a former high school women’s hoops star from the area offered to help. Samantha Cook told Mark Story she didn’t think twice about making the sacrifice.

She had grown up in a family with two sisters. When she thought about Thompson’s three daughters possibly not having a father, “it really affected me,” Cook said. “I couldn’t stop thinking about what it would have done to my sisters and me if we’d lost our dad.”

A time for giving, Cook gave Thompson the wonderful gift of life. Read Mark Story’s inspiring piece in the Herald-Leader.

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