By Matt Montgomery

Mustang resident Colin Meeks is waiting on something that holds his life in the balance: a new kidney.

Earlier this year, Meeks was sick but didn’t know what was wrong with him until he found out in March he had renal kidney failure.

“Last February, I went in to the hospital because I thought I was having a heart attack,” Meeks said. “Woke my wife up in the middle of the night, mom and dad came up to watch the kids, and we rushed to the hospital. They were shocked to see me walking in the building with my blood pressure as high as it was.”

Meeks said his high blood pressure overtime, “killed” his kidneys.

He eventually saw a few doctors during his two-week stint in the hospital and a couple of them didn’t give him a bright outlook like Dr. Thompson did. He said Dr. Thompson gave him a glimmer of hope, that he could survive this; he just needed to be on the transplant list.

Meeks was released from the hospital and was doing dialysis three days per week, four hours per session. He eventually got a call from the doctor telling him he was done with dialysis and they needed to see him the next day. He said he was ready for some good news, but the doctor told him he was in renal kidney failure and would need a kidney transplant.

“It was a little shocking and a lot to handle,” he said. “I’m 36 years old, I’ve got two young kids. We were right in the middle of basketball season when all of this happened. It was kind of tough missing that kind of stuff.”

Meeks is a youth basketball and baseball coach in Mustang and since he found out he has renal kidney failure, he’s had to give that up for now.

He was placed on the kidney transplant list and all he can do is wait. He is officially on the list, but the wait time is about five years, Meeks said.

However, he is currently seeking a living donor. He said his sisters have signed up to see if they are matches, as well as a few of his close friends. Meeks said if one of them is a match, they will give up one of their kidneys to save his life.

Even though Meeks is going through a life-changing time, and uncertain of the future, his spirits are high and he said he is truly grateful to all of the support from the community of Mustang and from his friends and family.

“It means a lot that people are willing to do that,” he said. “They’re giving up something that they might need later.”

Meeks said he has kept his mouth shut about his condition for a long time because when he got pulled off dialysis, he left it at that.

“I’ve always looked at it like there are always people with a lot more problems than me,” he said. “I don’t like to burden other people with my problems.”

On Nov. 15, there will be a silent auction held for Meeks at Mustang High School. Also, his sister, who owns Orange Leaf in Mustang, is hosting a fundraiser day from noon to 9 p.m., Oct. 21 at her restaurant for her brother.

There will also be a garage sale on Oct. 24 and 25 at 12717 Sw 53rd in Mustang.
Meeks works for the bonds and construction department of the Mustang school district.
He said he actually feels good, aside from the swelling in his ankles.

“I could sit at home and feel sorry for myself, but it’s not going to do anybody any good,” Meeks said.