Lt. Cmdr. Robert Merrill of VAQ-137 has celebrated 47 birthdays, 28 of them while serving in the Navy. He’s a thankful man who loves his wife Vicki, and has enjoyed his career in the Navy. His plan was to spend two more years serving his country and then begin another career helping people and serving the needs of his family. However, everything changed in January 2010.

Whenever Merrill had a medical appointment, he always reminded his flight surgeon, Dr. Tammy Servies, of his family’s history of kidney disease when she ordered a blood panel. On this particular day, the blood panel came back with terrible news, and Merrill was sent to Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma to see a kidney specialist. The specialist confirmed the diagnosis and told Merrill that his kidneys were failing. He immediately began spending 13 hours a day on peritoneal dialysis to sustain kidney function for the short term. His only chance for long term survival was to find a donor. His spouse was not a good match. He began to count each day as a blessing.

He informed his command of his illness, and worked each day despite his exhaustion. Upon learning about Merrill’s illness, shop Leading Chief Petty Officer, Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic–Safety Equipment Adrienne Stem, made an announcement at a staff meeting.

“Lt. Cmdr. Merrill needs a body part,” said Stem. Noting the confusion among the group, she reiterated, “He needs a kidney.”

One of the junior sailors wanted to help. The next day, Aviation Structural Mechanic–Safety Equipment Airman Paul Allen approached Merrill and asked what his blood type was. When Merrill replied, Allen smiled and asked what he needed to do.

When Merrill asked what he meant, Allen said, “I want to give you a kidney.”

Merrill’s emotions were swirling when he thought about Allen’s gracious offer, wondering what he had done to deserve this. Merrill always tackled his issues by himself. He didn’t have control over the situation, and had made peace with dying. That is, until Allen stepped in.

Allen and Merrill were tested for organ compatibility; miraculously Allen scored a 4 out of 6. Both men were then subjected to a battery of testing; blood monitoring, CT scans, imagery studies, urine collections and physical and mental evaluations. Upon completion of the testing, a request was forwarded to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) for approval of the organ donation from an active duty member. Both patients agreed the hardest part of the process was the waiting.

BUMED granted approval for the procedure in September. Allen, a modest individual and fitness guru, added that his toughest challenge would be staying out of the gym until given the green light to return to weight lifting.

“Things could not have gone better,” said Merrill, reflecting on the past several months. “I truly believe I have been given a gift from God. I still cannot believe that Paul was willing and able to donate one of his kidneys to me. It took two months for me to get Paul to stop calling me ‘sir’ and use my first name. After all, we are soon to be brothers.”

The squadron was also supportive, unselfish and willing to assume the extra work load created by an upcoming deployment. Cmdr. Gary Patenaude, former VAQ-137 commanding officer, and Cmdr. David Edgarton, the squadrons current commanding officer as well as Cmdr. Michael MacNicholl, executive officer, granted Allen a shore duty assignment to complete the testing. Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Volpe, ensured their duties would be covered by the maintenance crew.

Lt. Cmdr. Carla Neal of Safe Harbor tirelessly researched every resource available to make sure both men had everything they needed to bring this venture to fruition. Servies and fellow flight surgeon Cmdr. Joey Swartz, opened a lot of doors, shortened the process and helped make this operation a reality for Merrill’s wife who according to Merrill has been his “rock” throughout the entire ordeal.

TRICARE personnel provided excellent coverage and response. The turnaround time for specialty appointments and financial approval normally takes three to six months; they did it in three to six weeks.

“I truly feel blessed and fortunate to have a support team who rallied, sacrificed and kept me positive throughout the past nine months,” said Merrill, thanking them “from the bottom of my heart.”

On Oct. 13, University of Washington surgeons performed the transplant operations. All went smoothly and both patients are doing well.

“It’s the first day of the rest of my life,” said Merrill. “Did I mention, that today is my birthday?”

So it’s “Happy Birthday” to Merrill with best wishes for many happy returns of the day. And from Merrill and his family, they offer a heartfelt “Thank You” to Allen, a true America hero in the United States Navy.