John Watkins is a husband, a dad, a teacher, and he needs a kidney. If you've never met John, here's who he is: an assistant principal at Ellen Ochoa Elementary in Union Public Schools, Tulsa. He graduated from Union High in 2004 and has worked for the district for over twenty years. In 2022, he was named Teacher of the Year at Grove Elementary. He's the kind of educator parents pray their kids end up with. Outside of school, he's the father of two little girls. He plays guitar on the worship team at Foundations Church in Broken Arrow every Sunday morning. Anyone who knows him will tell you the same thing: John is loyal. John doesn't complain—not the way the rest of us would. Not even now. 
 
 
 John and Kraig’s story has been covered by News On 6 (Amy Slanchik, March 2026), Health Matters with TSET (April 2026), News9, Union Public Schools, Tulsa Public Schools, Tulsa World, and Ellen Ochoa Elementary School. These articles and profiles highlight the impact they’ve had as educators and community members, and the hope their journey brings to others. Kraig’s quote from Union Public Schools captures the spirit of this campaign: “It kind of excites me because thinking that not just one person is going to get a lifesaving organ, but potentially multiple people.” 
 
 
 John needs a kidney transplant, and the journey ahead is daunting. The costs are overwhelming: out-of-pocket medical expenses insurance won't cover, deductibles, co-pays, lifelong anti-rejection medications, lost income during recovery, and travel to wherever the donor kidney comes from. While both parents are at the hospital, help is needed for the household and the girls. 
 
 
 Kraig Mewbourne, John's lifelong friend, has already volunteered his kidney. Kraig is also facing lost teaching income, travel costs, and his own family's recovery support. He’s a dedicated educator, recently named Edison Preparatory Middle School Teacher of the Year and a finalist for Tulsa Public Schools' District Teacher of the Year. 
 
 
 The matched chain partner family is a stranger we haven't met yet, but their story is just as important. Paired donation only works when another patient on the other end of John's chain also makes it to the operating room. That family will face the same costs the Watkins family is facing, and when the chain is matched, support will go to them as well. 
 
 
 If you've made it this far in John's story, you already know he's not the kind of person who asks for help. He's the one who shows up for everyone else. So we're asking on his behalf. Three ways you can help today: 1. Get tested as a kidney donor. You don't have to match John's blood type—paired donation makes the chain work no matter your blood type. If you're healthy and willing, call Ascension St. John Transplant Center at [phone redacted] or visit kidney4watkins.com to learn how. 2. Share this campaign. Most living donors hear about their patient from a friend, not a hospital. Your share could be the one that finds John his match. 3. Give what you can. Every dollar funds the chain. Whatever amount you can give, it goes directly to the families walking this road. John didn't ask for this. He's letting us ask because he's run out of options and the people who love him won't let him face this alone. Be one of those people.

Anonymous

Support John Watkins' Kidney Journey

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Support John Watkins' Kidney Journey

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