Randy Newman says it best in his song from Toy Story: “…There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. We stick together and we see it through. ’Cause you’ve got a friend in me.”
When Scott Snellings met Jacob Thompson during his freshman year at Baylor University, he had no idea just how true those lyrics would become. The two quickly became inseparable, forming a bond that lasted well beyond college. They stood beside each other as groomsmen, and Scott even named his son Jacob. But the full depth of their friendship wouldn’t be revealed until many years later.
As previously featured in Celina Lifestyle and Texoma City Lifestyle, Scott Snellings (SnellingsInjuryLaw.com) experienced a life-changing event in 2008. After years of practicing law, he began battling significant health issues that required powerful medications - medications that ultimately damaged his kidneys. His physician delivered news no one wants to hear: Scott would eventually need a kidney transplant.
The diagnosis cast a long shadow. Scott and his family faced countless unknowns - when would the transplant be necessary, how could he best preserve his kidney function, and would a donor be available when the time came? According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, as of February 2023, 88,658 people in the United States were waiting for a kidney transplant.
That moment arrived in 2017.
“My doctor told me it was time and to ask everyone and anyone to get tested,” Scott recalls. “It was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. I am not someone who typically asks for help.” But Scott felt a clear calling. “I put my ego aside and asked everyone I knew,” he says. With three children and a wife depending on him, he felt compelled to do everything possible to find a donor.
In addition to matching blood type, a donor must be medically compatible and in excellent health to function with one kidney. Because the criteria are so rigorous, many transplant recipients rely on deceased donors.
By grace, Scott had two matches: his father-in-law and his best friend, Jacob Thompson.
“It brought me to tears that people would do this for me,” Scott says. Doctors ultimately selected Jacob, who was younger, to move forward. Jacob then spent months undergoing extensive testing, a challenge made even harder by the fact that he lives in Oklahoma. “That shows even more what kind of friend he is,” Scott notes.
On Halloween 2017, Jacob donated his kidney to his best friend. Scott jokes that the timing was “Frankensteinesque,” but the experience was anything but frightening. Before surgery, Jacob, accompanied by his wife who was eight months pregnant, joined Scott and their families in prayer. Scott remembers feeling an overwhelming sense of peace, confident that everything would be okay regardless of the outcome.
The surgery was a success. The two recovered on the same hospital floor, even taking daily laps together around the ICU unit.
When asked why Jacob chose to donate, Scott doesn’t hesitate. “Jacob is a giver. He served in the military, he serves in his church, and he has always put others before himself. If Jacob was going to offer a kidney, no one was surprised. Faith, family, and friendship are everything to him.”
For the past eight years, the Snellings and Thompson families have marked their “donation anniversary” with trips ranging from Tulsa to Tuscany. “It’s a great way to celebrate and be thankful,” Scott says of the immeasurable gift he received.
“How do you repay a gift like that?” Scott reflects. “It’s not with money or presents. You repay it by living each day to its fullest, living with joy, regardless of circumstances, because that’s what makes each day possible.”
Today, Scott Snellings leads Snellings Law, with offices in Frisco, Celina, Sherman, and Dallas. This fall, he’ll be running his first marathon—the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.—made possible by his best friend’s life-saving gift.
SnellingsInjuryLaw.com
“Jacob is a giver. He served in the military, he serves in his church, and he has always put others before himself. If Jacob was going to offer a kidney, no one was surprised. Faith, family, and friendship are everything to him.”