A Philadelphia Union season ticket holder got a life-saving assist.
In 2020, Ed McCusker was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease and found out he was in kidney failure.
McCusker immediately began dialysis and treatment at Penn Medicine and learned that he needed to get on the kidney donation list.
"Kind went from, didn't realize he was sick to all of a sudden we were in the hospital, and his organs were shutting down. And It was just like a whirlwind," said McCusker's wife Shawn. "I thought he was going to die. I really did."
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As a Sons of Ben Member, the Union’s official supporters’ group, McCusker took to their social media pages to share the need for a donor in an effort to expand his luck in finding a match.
The social post read in part:
"Our fellow Sons of Ben and longtime season ticket member, Ed McCusker, is looking for a Kidney match! In 2020, Ed's kidneys began to fail, requiring him to go to dialysis 3x a week to stay alive. The ONLY long-term solution here is a kidney transplant, and we could use YOUR help to find Ed, a donor!"
In 2023, another Union season ticket member, Katie Buzby, saw the post, proceeded to get tested and found out she was a match.
"I'm not a religious person, it was the closet thing I've ever had to a spiritual experience. How is it possible that this woman in their 30s and this man in his 50s have a matching kidney, good enough to do a transplant," Buzby said.
The pair underwent successful surgeries at Penn Medicine, with McCusker unknowingly receiving a kidney from a fellow Union fan.
After the surgery, Buzby wrote McCusker a letter explaining who she was, but the two didn't meet until after the Union and Penn Medicine surprised McCusker by bringing Buzby out to a private Union training session.
"I really don't have words to say. Just thank you. It's made a tremendous impact," said McCusker. "I'm going to have another normal, however many years, because Kate has given me her kidney."
Philadelphia Union and Penn Medicine captured McCusker and Buzby meeting each other for the first time; you can watch the full video on the Union YouTube page.
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