Tennis Coach Lee Underwood, Kidney Recipient, Reclaims Life After Rare Anonymous Living Donor Transplant

Barton College Coach Survives Rare Anonymous Living-Donor kidney transplant After Public Plea

USA: Barton College tennis coach Lee Underwood, who went public eight months ago about his stage five kidney failure and search for a living donor, received a kidney transplant on a late September Tuesday, September 23rd. Underwood had spent last holiday season rising at 4:00 a.m. for dialysis treatments, a regimen that framed the urgent public appeal his wife Sherry placed on his behalf. The couple had asked their community for help while Underwood remained focused on his identity as coach and mentor.

The operation delivered a profound change in daily life and household rhythm. After months of dialysis and an emotional campaign to identify a compatible living donor, Underwood was admitted for surgery and emerged into early recovery with the transplanted kidney functioning. The transplant ended a cycle that had seen him confronting mortality while continuing to lead his players from the sideline, and it set the stage for a recovery the family described in terms of gratitude and daily reflection.

The donor chose to remain anonymous, a rare decision among living kidney donors. The Underwoods’ only link to the good Samaritan is a handwritten card kept in Sherry’s purse that offers prayers for Lee’s healing and long life. The family said roughly 20 people completed the full evaluation process during the search and that the eventual donor was the last person to progress to donation, illustrating the narrow path from volunteer interest to successful transplantation. According to the National kidney Registry cited in the report, fewer than 5 percent of living kidney donations are anonymous.

On campus, players and colleagues have noticed changes in Coach Underwood’s demeanor: more patience, a softer public gratitude and continued emphasis on discipline and care for his team. The transplant has shifted private struggle into visible recovery, leaving the couple and the college community grateful for an ultimately successful search for a living kidney donor and the medical procedure that restored his health.