Former Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie has struggled with his health for quite some time but his battle reached a low point last December when he was diagnosed with kidney failure after years of chronic high blood pressure. The news that Gillispie received that day was that he would have to begin dialysis unless someone donated him a kidney.
With more than 100,000 names on the list waiting to receive a kidney, Gillispie’s chances weren’t the best. That was until Ericka Downey came across the news while taking a break from cleaning her closet. She saw the news on social media that Gillispie was in need of a transplant and instead of moving past it, she felt led to help.
“When I read the story, I started researching a little bit, trying to find whatever I could on kidney donation,” said Downey. When I read about kidney donation and how it’s such a burden for patients to have to ask for that, it was immediate that I felt I should do more.”
Downey immediately began praying about it before breaking the news to her husband, Mark Downey, who is the men’s head basketball coach at Northeastern State University. The next day she began tweeting out the story, hoping to find a match for Gillispie. The first thing she had to do was fill out an online questionnaire through the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in order to find out if she was a match.
While she was on a flight to Las Vegas in January, she received a Twitter message from Josh Mills, who is a former assistant of Gillispie’s at Texas Tech. Downey received Gillispie’s cell phone number and by the time she landed, he had responded to her text message. At that point, she had enough information to know the dates he was going to the Mayo Clinic and she could follow up on his appointments. In mid-February, Downey was informed that she was a match.
She still hadn’t met Gillispie but the two made plans to meet at the Final Four in San Antonio. Downey and her husband do a party on Friday at the Final Four for all of the assistants that have worked with them. Downey extended an invitation to Gillispie and he informed her that he would be there.
Gillispie is a private person and one that never really showed how he was feeling during his time at Kentucky, but he teared up when he finally met the woman that will save his life.
“He definitely teared up,” said Downey. “It was an emotional experience for sure and you could just feel the love in the room. Just the gratefulness. It was really a neat experience.”
Even though she had never met Gillispie, Downey felt like she already knew him from everything they had experienced throughout the process.
“I felt like I already know him and he does feel like family. I felt like I already knew him and it didn’t feel like I was meeting a stranger at all.”
Downey shot down the idea that Gillispie lacks a personality, something that went against him during his time at Kentucky. Gillispie losing his job at Kentucky was a result more than just wins and losses. It was his inability to connect with the program or show any sense of connection with the people.
“He’s a funny guy and he has a great personality,” said Downey. “He’s easy to connect with. He’s got a great personality and he’s a lot of fun. He’s just so incredibly honest and doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He just tells it how it is.”
Now, Gillispie and Downey are both in Minnesota and surgery will take place later today. Downey will be in the hospital Tuesday night and Wednesday night. They want her to stay close to the clinic just in case something happens but she plans to be home sometime on Saturday.
“Our bodies are pretty amazing,” said Downey. “God gave us two kidneys and we only need one to function.
