Man wants work, but can’t find it because he’s on dialysis
Bryan Wells was born two months premature. He had his first kidney transplant at age 13, thanks to a donation from his own father. He’s now on dialysis three days a week as he waits on the Baylor Medical Center donor list for a new kidney. He’s been on that list for six years now.
Wells doesn’t want pity for his lot in life. He wants a job.
With an associate’s degree in Christian Studies and a bachelor’s degree in counseling, Wells said finding a job in Lufkin has been challenging.
“Three days a week I have my dialysis, and then I go home and look through the paper to find a job and just be a normal person like everyone else,” Wells said. “(During job interviews) everything is going great until I say I’m on dialysis, and then they say they’ll call me back and they never do. One guy told me I was a liability because of the dialysis. It’s not that I’m not a hard worker or that I’m not going to give 100 percent. It’s the dialysis.”
Wells moved to Lufkin to be near his father. After searching for a place to live, he came across Glenda Davis and her husband, who owned a rental house.
“It wasn’t five minutes before I wanted to fill out the paperwork because it was the best place I had seen,” Wells said. “I couldn’t have asked for better landlords. They really take care of me.”
Davis considers the 30-year-old man as one of her own.
“I think the Lord sends people like this to me,” Davis said. “I have taken him under my wing. My heart went out to him. I know a good person when I see one. Ever since I have known him, he has struggled to find a job. The doors keep getting closed. When I see someone who wants to work and can work, that makes me want to help.”
Wells doesn’t want a handout, but he also knows his limitations. The self-proclaimed “people person” enjoys working with the elderly and children. He also volunteers at the DaVita clinic, where he receives his treatments, as a patient advocate and helping with a newsletter.
“I have volunteered as a chaplain in two or three retirement homes,” Wells said. “I would like to find something to help people and show them there is hope out there.”
The landlord and her renter have become extremely close over the past several months. She nags him as a mother would, and their playful banter alludes to a comfortable relationship. They both wholeheartedly agree that there’s nothing more important than being an organ donor.
They want to spread the word about the gift of life during National Donor Awareness month. “There’s no better gift you could give and no better feeling than for someone else to have life,” Davis said.
In the meantime, Wells said, he will continue to read and search through the newspaper for a job and through the Bible for motivation.
“What keeps me going is my church and Bible,” Wells said. “I open my Bible and know that God is in control.”
Wells doesn’t want pity for his lot in life. He wants a job.
With an associate’s degree in Christian Studies and a bachelor’s degree in counseling, Wells said finding a job in Lufkin has been challenging.
“Three days a week I have my dialysis, and then I go home and look through the paper to find a job and just be a normal person like everyone else,” Wells said. “(During job interviews) everything is going great until I say I’m on dialysis, and then they say they’ll call me back and they never do. One guy told me I was a liability because of the dialysis. It’s not that I’m not a hard worker or that I’m not going to give 100 percent. It’s the dialysis.”
Wells moved to Lufkin to be near his father. After searching for a place to live, he came across Glenda Davis and her husband, who owned a rental house.
“It wasn’t five minutes before I wanted to fill out the paperwork because it was the best place I had seen,” Wells said. “I couldn’t have asked for better landlords. They really take care of me.”
Davis considers the 30-year-old man as one of her own.
“I think the Lord sends people like this to me,” Davis said. “I have taken him under my wing. My heart went out to him. I know a good person when I see one. Ever since I have known him, he has struggled to find a job. The doors keep getting closed. When I see someone who wants to work and can work, that makes me want to help.”
Wells doesn’t want a handout, but he also knows his limitations. The self-proclaimed “people person” enjoys working with the elderly and children. He also volunteers at the DaVita clinic, where he receives his treatments, as a patient advocate and helping with a newsletter.
“I have volunteered as a chaplain in two or three retirement homes,” Wells said. “I would like to find something to help people and show them there is hope out there.”
The landlord and her renter have become extremely close over the past several months. She nags him as a mother would, and their playful banter alludes to a comfortable relationship. They both wholeheartedly agree that there’s nothing more important than being an organ donor.
They want to spread the word about the gift of life during National Donor Awareness month. “There’s no better gift you could give and no better feeling than for someone else to have life,” Davis said.
In the meantime, Wells said, he will continue to read and search through the newspaper for a job and through the Bible for motivation.
“What keeps me going is my church and Bible,” Wells said. “I open my Bible and know that God is in control.”
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