If a donated kidney were at the top of one’s wish list, it might seem like a hopeless wish.

But Rodney Williams of Elba has not give up hope that someone, somewhere will give him a kidney and a second chance at life.

Williams, age 58, is fighting a 20-year battle with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) a disease that affects kidney function. His condition has worsened in the last six months. Although Williams has been told by doctors at UAB that there is nothing they can do for him, he is not giving up.

He is working with the Mayo Clinic through its live donor paired kidney exchange or kidney swap program in hopes that someone will be willing to donate a healthy kidney that will save his life.

“If someone donated a healthy kidney to me but the blood type didn’t match mine, then the kidney would go into the swap program,” Williams said. “The next healthy kidney with a blood type that matched mine would go to me because a kidney had already been donated for me.”

The kidney swap transplant program enables two incompatible recipients to receive healthy, more compatible kidneys. For that to happen, two live donor transplants would occur. Donor 1 would give a kidney to Recipient 2. Donor 2 would then give a kidney to Recipient 1, in this case Rodney Williams.

Although Williams realizes that asking someone to donate a kidney to him is asking a lot, he also knows that this could be his last and best hope.

“Here I am wondering if I’ll make it another day or not,” he said.

Much of Williams’ life has been spent in service to others. He has long volunteered with healthcare organizations. He moved home from Valdosta, Georgia, to take care of his 86-year-old mother.

Williams, a graduate of Troy University, has two master’s degrees, one is business administration and the other in management information systems.

“I feel like I have more to contribute to society, more to do for others,” he said. “There is still more I would like to do.”

But, Williams said it’s getting late in the game for him.

“There are several organizations that are trying to help me but it’s going to take someone coming forward with a kidney to give me a chance,” he said.

To contact Williams, call 229-251-0960 or join him on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rodney.williams.104.