He’d studied German, taught by the Rev. Earl Behr, at Holly Hill High School.
When Simons was a student there, she was one of Behr’s German language students too.
In addition, Behr was her pastor at First Baptist Church of Holly Hill.
“We just really had a good time talking about that,” she said.
As time went on, and Lewis’s one functioning kidney began to fail him, she asked him if he’d been able to find a donor.
“And I remember that day, leaving my office and on the way home, I kept thinking about Chris and I kept thinking about his situation,” Simons said.
“And the thought occurred to me, ‘I have two kidneys and this guy needs one and I don’t need but one,’” she said.
As she continued her drive home, she became more excited thinking about the possibility that she could give Lewis a chance, just by giving him one of her kidneys.
When she got home, she said to her husband, “James, I need to tell you something. I’m thinking about this and this is just a thought and I know it sounds crazy, but I met this guy who needs a kidney and I’ve got two. I really feel like I’ve been called to go and investigate that.”
Her husband looked at her and said, “Connie, if you feel that way, that’s God, so you have my full support.”
