A ‘Miracle Of Science And Love’ Gives Dialysis Patient A New Lease On Life

When Martha Parker saw that her husband, Will Hood, was calling in the middle of a workday last fall, she didn’t think much of it.

Although he didn’t call often, knowing she was busy as project manager with Texas A&M University’s Center for Worker Health (formerly the Ergo Center) and with her doctoral studies, he sometimes asked her to stop at the store on her way to their home near Iola or had something to discuss about their daughter.

But this time, she heard uncertainty in his voice, and when he hesitated and said they could talk that evening, she insisted that he share what was on his mind.

“It’s about George, and it’s big,” he said.

It must be really big, Martha remembers thinking, given that George Packard seemed larger than life. He had been an army ranger and infantry officer in Vietnam. He led the chaplain response at Ground Zero in New York City after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Before retiring, he visited military installations around the world as bishop of the Armed Forces for the Episcopal Church.

But now, George had a simple plea on Facebook: “I’m looking for a kidney!” He also gave the URL for DOVE Transplant, a free, New-Jersey-based organization that pairs military veterans in need of healthy kidneys with living donors.

Will wanted Martha’s support to start the potentially life-changing process of determining if he might be a good match. Will said he owed it to his friend—one of the most caring and passionate people he knew—who had supported his career as a Navy chaplain and helped him heal from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Martha not only agreed — she wanted to participate, too.

George, 80, had been in excellent health until 2023. After losing a kidney in 2005 to damage he suspects was caused by chemical exposure in Vietnam, he suffered further renal damage after an adverse reaction to contrast dye used in a medical procedure. Since 2023, he relied on dialysis to stay alive. Each treatment left him exhausted into the next day as his condition deteriorated. A kidney donation was the only way back to health.

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