James Harris Jr. and Russ Redhead, who were friendly adversaries in pool halls around Maryland and Pennsylvania before their rivalry turned bitter a decade ago, now wear matching T-shirts that say “Kidney Buddies for Life”. Learning in 2022 that Harris had end-stage kidney disease and desperately needed an organ donor, Redhead was able to become a living donor. Both men were up and walking around the hospital one day after the surgery on Feb. 8 at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. Within hours of returning home, Harris felt energetic enough to return to his basement for a quick game of pool and at some point, plans to accept his kidney buddy’s offer to play a game at the new pool hall Redhead plans to open later this month in Lebanon, Pa.
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