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SALT LAKE CITY — While Glade Young says that he and lifelong friend Alan Bishop are "like brothers," they're not related, but they do share blood.
About 30 years ago, Young, a Mona native living in Montana, found out he needed a bone marrow transplant. Through the National Bone Marrow Registry, he was matched with Bishop who was living in California.
Bishop said he felt drawn to become a donor when he learned more about the urgent need for donations.
"The only way to save their lives is by bone marrow donation," Bishop said.
Two years after the successful transplant, they had the opportunity to write to each other. They found out that they have several shared interests and they also both have ties to central Utah; during their childhood summers, they lived just 20 miles away from each other.
"Had Alan lived just 4 miles further south he would have been in Juab county, and we would have attended church together," Young told KSL.com.
When an earthquake hit Los Angeles, Young had the idea that he and his long-time pen pal needed more points of communication.
"We wrote back and forth for a while and then they had an earthquake in Los Angeles and he wrote me saying 'man are you alive or what? Give me a call,'" said Bishop.
Now they visit each other regularly, Bishop even attends Young's family reunions. It was at the last family reunion in August that a series of events would occur to connect them even more.
Three years ago, Young's daughter Teal lost function in her kidneys after she developed sepsis from a burst appendix. Young said the doctors were hopeful that her kidneys would regain function, but after years on dialysis, it was determined that she would need a transplant.
At the reunion, Bishop got a better idea of Teal's condition. He told Young that he would get tested to see if he was a match, but Young said he didn't think much of it at the time.
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Students at Redwood Elementary School were surprised with a visit from Santa Claus and personalized gifts after a trip to watch “The Polar Express” on Thursday."Then he just called one day and said 'I'm a match!'" said Young.
"I knew she needed one, and I was thinking about (donating a kidney)," Bishop said. "And I thought it would be a whole lot better for me to help someone I knew."
In November they had the transplant and are both doing well.
Young said he hoped their story can show the power of being an organ donor and giving what you can to help others.
