COTA for Ant Strong

Our Story

#ANTSTRONG is just about a young man getting a transplant. While all transplant patients exude a great level of strength, #ANTSTRONG is about a mentality, hunger, passion, and seeing whatever you do all the through. Here is Ant’s story:

As one of two boys and two girls and the “tween” Ant was born tough. Since the age of five he played football and was always known for his big hits, tenacity, and fearless demeanor. He was a force on the field and a leader on and off the field. In elementary school staff named him “The Golden Child” and on the field coaches always said he, “had that dog in him. Ant set a standard for himself at an early age and made sure he’d do his best at everything he set out to do, and he did. Nothing ever got in his way, he won metals in football and track and was named MVP on every team he was on. Being MVP was a badge of honor for Ant, and in 2019 not only was he named MVP for Bailey Middle School in Cornelius, NC but that same week he was diagnosed with FSGS and kidney failure.

It was a week before the last football game of the season. Ant’s parents noticed swelling in his legs and after adjusting Ant’s diet and ruling out the possibilities that come along with being an athlete, his parents said they were taking him to the hospital. Of course, Ant said he felt fine and refused to miss his last game, so he bargained and with his parents decided that if the swelling continued beyond the last game, he would have to go to the doctor the next day. Ant and his team ended the season with a win and the next morning, he and his mom went to the hospital. Shortly after, Ant was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome and admitted to the hospital for several days. During that time Anthony had a biopsy and FSGS was determined.

From eighth grade to his senior year in high school, Ant would have monthly labs and doctors’ appointments with his nephrologist. At home he’d take between 9-18 meds a day to manage his kidney function and blood pressure, but despite how he felt he remained discrete about his diagnosis and lived life as if nothing was wrong. He wrestled, worked out, maintained his grades, and continued to work hard on the football field. His performance during his high school career allowed him to be offered 10 full football scholarships, and in the summer of 2023, he committed to James Madison University. Ant was at the peak of his football career, he’d committed to his school of choice, he was leading his team to the state championship, and he was managing his medications in a way that worked best for him. Ant had a plan, but in December of 2023 those plans changed when his kidney function declined to 9% and he was told he’d have to start dialysis and never be able to play football again. As he did four years prior, Ant went in to negotiating mode and convinced his nephrologist to do all she can to at least allow him to end the senior year football season. Together they monitored his symptoms and meds closely and he finished the season as MVP at 9% kidney function, without anyone knowing other than his family. The week after his last game, Ant began inpatient dialysis treatments three days a week. Ant thought this news would cause him to lose his full scholarship, however JMU honored his full scholarship, he was able to switch to home dialysis, and in the fall of 2024, he moved on campus and started his first college semester. Not only did Ant manage his classes, driving for appointments between Harrisonburg, VA and Charlotte, NC, his meds, dialysis, and the large Baxter orders in a huge truck that would deliver to his dorm room, but he also became the Member Chair for the Finance Club, participated in volunteering, made friends and was nominated as JMU’s freshman merging leader. By this time, he’d been inactive on the transplant list over a year and at the end of his first semester, he enrolled into all virtual courses and made the decision to go active on the transplant list. Ant went active on February 28^th and got the call from his nephrologist one week and one day later that he had a kidney. Immediately, he went to his dorm, packed his bag and headed to Charlotte. On March 8^th, 2025, Ant received his kidney transplant and started this next chapter of his life!