My name is John Holmes II, and I am asking for a donation of a kidney due to my kidney failure. I have been on dialysis since 2021 and receive my treatments in Fayetteville, N.C., where I also reside. I have been married for 22 years to a wonderful woman I met while serving in the Fayetteville Police Department.
My military experience began at the age of 17 when, while still in high school, I decided to enlist in the North Carolina Army National Guard in 1982. There I was trained and certified in the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 11B, also known as the infantry and later, when I changed units, the MOS 13B artillery. I spent the 2-year commitment between a unit in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I was never activated for any active duty here or overseas.
Near the end of my enlistment with the National Guard, I began to transition to the active U.S. Air Force. In 1985, I reported to Lackland A.F.B., Texas to begin Air Force basic training. Here, initial basic training is supposed to last 6 weeks. Surprising to me, due to my prior service with the Army National Guard, I was selected to participate in the P.A. (proficiency advancement) program. My participation in this program shortened my Air Force basic training from 6 weeks to 3 weeks providing I passed all required tests (which I did).
After my Air Force basic training, I was trained in the Air Force Specialty 811X0, also known as Security Specialist. Upon successful completion of job certification training, my first permanent duty station was Clark Air Base in the Republic of the Philippines. This began a 9- year commitment serving my country in the U.S. Air Force. During this time, I was posted on two different occasions at Clark AB.
While there, I experienced the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, the overthrow of the government, and base strikes. Other postings include a 3-year tour at Nellis A.F.B., Nevada, and Pope A.F.B., North Carolina. It was at Pope A.F.B., I was selected for participation in Operation Desert Storm. There I was stationed at Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (King Abdul Azziz Air Base).
In April of 1994, I completed my enlistment with an Honorable Discharge. As I was ending this chapter of my life, another chapter started while on terminal leave. I began an 11- year tour with the Fayetteville (N.C.) Police Department. I worked as a Police Officer, until I had a massive stroke in 2014. Unfortunately, I was not able to go back to full-time police work but have been holding down a part time job as a security officer for Allied Universal Security Services.
I have two children from a previous marriage, a son (36), and a daughter (34). My daughter and her husband have given me a grandson and a granddaughter. My son remains unmarried. The hobbies I enjoy are reading and weightlifting, which I can no longer do due to my fistula and a torn right rotator cuff. I was once a member of a Masonic Lodge, and an assistant Scoutmaster. My kidney function declined to the point that I need to start dialysis in November 2021. With a kidney transplant, I would be able to continue being here for my family and enjoy the things that I dearly miss doing.
For medically cleared donors, giving the gift of life through living kidney donation has been proven to be very safe. DOVE will assist all prospective donors throughout the process and make sure they do not incur any out-of-pocket expenses related to the evaluation or surgery. A healthy person can live a normal life with one kidney and save John’s life with the other!
Your support, whether through spreading the word on social media or considering becoming a donor, can make a profound impact on his life and the life of his family!
Please click on the link below if you would like to learn more OR call (551) 233-1611