- I saw the movie when I was 12 for the first time.
And it made me want to do positive things.
[CHEWBACCA GROWLS]
- That's why really I look at Barry as having saved my life.
[ORCHESTRA SCORE MUSIC]
[FAINT OVERLAPPING CONVERSATIONS]
- Everyone has a "Star Wars" story.
I'm Jordan Hembrough.
And I'm meeting "Star Wars" fans virtually,
who have been inspired and changed by the galaxy far,
far away.
Today I'm getting to know Josh and Barry, two friends who came
together through Star Wars, forging a connection that
saved Josh's life.
This is their "Star Wars" story.
Josh how are you?
- I'm doing great, Jordan.
Nice to see you.
- So here's what's interesting to me.
You were actually born in the US.
But you saw "Star Wars" in another country right?
- Yes.
My dad was a Naval officer stationed out in Europe.
I was either in Germany or Belgium
when we first saw the film.
And I was only a toddler.
Darth Vader scared me.
And my parents said I hid under the seat.
- Commander, tear this ship apart
until you've found those plans.
- OK.
So obviously, even though you were a toddler,
"Star Wars" had an impact on you at a young age.
- Oh, sure.
- Do you remember any kind of memories at all
from being a toddler?
- Not really.
I'm primarily an '80s kid.
And my dad rented a real film player
and projected "Star Wars" against the wall,
because I really didn't remember the movie.
I had all the toys by that time.
And I didn't know exactly how it all went together.
So he refreshed my memory before we saw "Empire Strikes Back."
- I like that, a little refresher course.
As you got older, did your collection change at all or did
you start collecting other things?
- It got a lot bigger and took up more closet
space into our hall closet.
My parents weren't too happy with that.
- So you're going along collecting
and the internet comes out.
How did you connect with fans?
- I met some of the same friends I still have today online then.
Between college and high school, I was looking for something fun
to do.
And I had heard rumors that the figures were coming back.
And I wanted those.
They looked so realistic.
So I thought I was gonna do everything in dioramas
and building, like what you see behind me,
and at least collect for that--
and see where it went.
- So let me fast-forward a little bit.
Something happens in college that throws you for a loop.
Tell me a little bit about that.
- I was in the gym at my university at the rec center.
And I had an aneurysm, which was caused
by my high blood pressure.
- What was that like afterwards?
Were you in the hospital?
- They kept me in an artificial coma
for about three weeks or longer.
I don't remember too much of that.
But I had trouble walking afterwards and getting my motor
skills and coordination back.
At that point, I was realizing that I was in trouble.
I have hereditary kidney disease.
My father had passed by this point.
And it wasn't so great for him in the '80s.
I had hopes things might overfly my generation,
or have a chance to get better health care.
- How old were you?
- I would have been about 22, 23 years old.
And I was gonna have to have dialysis or a transplant.
And I wasn't really planning on living on dialysis.
I'd seen my father do that.
- I can't imagine something like that.
So now you're back at home.
Talk to me about when you're recuperating from the aneurysm.
What role does "Star Wars" have in your life right now?
- I got my steps in at the toy aisles.
I would head up there at 7:00 or 7:45 in the morning,
into the toy aisle, to get a few extra Clone
Troopers for my army--
'cause I needed some of those.
Because eventually I mean to build Geonosis.
[BLASTERS FIRING]
[EXPLOSIONS]
- From what I understand about this time,
you came back to the message boards.
And you post something very, very special
that changes your life forever.
Tell me about that.
What did you say to people?
- I told them what had happened to me.
I said that I did need a kidney transplant.
I would need a very specific O-positive blood type donor.
I had my local friends.
And they all tested.
And we weren't matching.
- So you go through this illness right now.
And you post on the message boards
telling people about what you're going through.
I want to bring someone in right now who read that post OK?
So just hang on for one second.
- Barry?
Hey, Barry.
- Hey, Jordan.
Good to meet you.
- Hey, Barry.
- When you read that post, you've known Josh for a while
now didn't you?
- Yes.
I would read some of his posts about how
he liked the smell of a freshly opened action figure.
And it always made me smile.
- What did you think when you first read
Josh's post about his illness?
- Well, I had lost my mom in 2005 to cancer,
four days after my birthday.
And I was saddened by not being able to help her.
If it would have been something as simple as donating
a kidney to save her life, I would
have done it in a heartbeat.
Then Josh writes this post about basically having
two years left on this earth.
And my eyes just welled up with tears.
And I just typed a message.
I said, I don't know what's involved
with making a donation, but I'm willing to donate.
- You knew a fellow "Star Wars" fan on a message board.
You said you're gonna donate a kidney.
The selflessness that you've displayed here
is something that's really prevalent through "Star Wars."
Do you think "Star Wars" inspired your decision at all?
- Yes.
I saw the movie, when I was 12, for the first time.
And seeing the story of good versus evil and good triumphing
over that evil, it made me want to do positive things
like donate blood, fundraise for the Cancer Society,
donate a kidney.
- So what happened then?
You get a call.
They say you're a match.
What happens?
- I basically had to undergo test after test after test.
It felt like it took a year, year and a half
to get to where they finally said, OK, now we're
gonna fly you to California where
you have to go through a week worth of other tests.
And then we had to do this test where they take our blood
and look for interactions.
Well, his blood being the blood of a Jedi
and mine be a blood of a Storm Trooper,
his blood started beating up my blood I guess,
which meant that his body would reject it.
I just almost cried.
Because like I said, I was emotionally
invested in this having talked to Josh
all during this whole year and a half and becoming friends.
And it was very, very difficult news to take.
- It was one of the most difficult days of my life.
Because Barry had given me hope.
And then I found out nothing's gonna change.
I had to go back to dialysis.
And I thought Barry's not gonna come back, this is done with.
He asked my doctor what else they could do.
And there was just an amazing effort made.
And they did something called IVIG therapy, which reduces
my immune system further so I could
be better matched with Barry.
That was something that was very touching to me, very inspiring.
- Barry, what was going through your mind?
- I said, I'm still willing, just let me know when.
And obviously it was a go.
And then February 3, we were both at the hospital.
And then coming out of it, and you're
on so much pain medication, I thought something happened.
I thought they went in there and found one of my kidneys
was bad.
So I didn't think they did the surgery.
- My experience was similar to Barry's.
I wake up and it seems like nothing had happened.
So my doc says-- "no, no.
He says, you didn't have anything done.
We made a mistake.
We put it in the wrong guy."
- He's got jokes.
OK.
It always amazes me how "Star Wars" basically creeps
into every aspect of our life, even when we're getting
tested for a new kidney.
I mean, "Star Wars" was the bond that held you guys together
and really brought you together.
- Oh, yeah.
Josh is a brother for life.
I mean, we've done so much together in the time after.
- We've gone to Celebration in two different states
and shared a lot of good times since.
- As someone who survived a terminal illness, what device
would you give to other people going through something
like that in your position?
- Reach out and build a support network.
They can be your sports team.
They can be your "Star Wars" hobby.
But if you're enjoying it, and you're reaching out to people,
you can make that connection and enrich your lives.
And they might do something like Barry did for me.
- Do you think Barry saved your life?
- Yes.
Some people do end up passing away because they
can't get an organ in time.
And people have to live on dialysis.
That's why really I look at Barry as having saved my life.
Because I would not have opted to be
doing that as a young man.
- You are living proof to everything-- to donors,
to "Star Wars," to friendship.
Thank you for doing this.
- We really want to help other people see that they can
survive these types of things and that living
organ donation is possible.
And they can reach out and do what we did and save lives.
[DIGITAL ZOOMING SOUND EFFECTS]