LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — For the past quarter century, Dave Redden has been an Englishman living in the Commonwealth.
He arrived in Paris in 1998 to marry his lifetime love and, in the years since, developed a lifelong passion for giving.
"I've always liked doing charity stuff, as long as I believe in the cause," says Dave. "I enjoy all aspects of what we do. Myself and my daughter, as I may have mentioned, we're sports photographers. I make sure that we go out at least 3-4 times a year. We shoot events for charities, so that they have photographs to promote it the following year, if they do that."
But even more than that, Dave has organized multiple charity events over the years, raising money for a number of causes.
"Special Olympics, we've done games for Habitat for Humanity, Chloe's Home for Beckels, which is a suicide prevention charity. Lexington Catholic – we played those [games] in December," says Dave.
Always giving and helping the cause. But now, this hero is looking for a hero of his own. After battling a number of health issues over the past five years, Dave is in desperate need of a new kidney. He undergoes dialysis three times a week, four hours at a time while he patiently waits.
Dave was just registered with the University of Cincinnati Hospital in hopes of getting a live donor, a gift that is expected to last twice as long as a cadaver kidney.
"I get that it's not an easy thing to do," Dave admits. "I'll be honest with you – I'm not sure that I could do it, you know. But there are plenty of people who have done it. I've got a friend that I've met along this journey. Once she was back up on her feet after the operation, there's no difference to her life at all. In fact, she says it’s better!"
"There are approximately 1,000 patients in Kentucky presently trying to get a kidney transplant. I'm just one of the thousand."
A man looking for a gift so that he can continue to give.
