Retired Nacogdoches High School Coach Nears Kidney Transplant After Five Years On Dialysis As Donor Search Reopens

Retired Nacogdoches Coach Clarence McMichael Seeks kidney transplant After Five Years On Dialysis

USA: Clarence McMichael, the beloved retired Nacogdoches High School coach who led football and softball programs for 38 years, is racing toward a kidney transplant after five years on dialysis. Physicians say a bout with COVID-19 accelerated his chronic kidney disease into failure, placing transplantation at the center of his care plan.

McMichael has been on transplant lists for years and remains a steady presence for his family even as he endures routine dialysis. Nephrologist Imran Nazeer warns that demand for kidneys far outpaces supply, leaving hundreds of thousands on dialysis and tens of thousands awaiting transplantation nationwide, which complicates timely matches for candidates like McMichael.

Medical teams expect McMichael to be taken off blood thinners in April, clearing the way for transplant surgeons and coordinators to resume an active search for a compatible donor and move toward procurement planning. His family frames the goal simply: a dialysis-free life with room for family trips and ordinary days that the illness has made difficult.

As McMichael waits, the story underscores the gap between need and available organs and the vital role living donors can play in expanding options for patients. The coach’s community continues to rally, holding onto hope that a matched kidney — from either a deceased donor or a living donor — will restore his independence.

Video originally published on 2026-03-20 10:42:07