After leaving the military, Billy finished his bachelor’s degree in psychology and went to work for the Presbyterian Hospital as a psychiatric technician before getting into law enforcement as a detention officer for the state of South Carolina. He moved to North Carolina and was employed by the NC Department of Juvenile Services as a residential counselor, working with troubled youth. Billy also received an associate degree in culinary arts in 2010, before his retirement in 2011. Later he received a graduate certificate in Mental Health Studies in 2021. He is currently finishing up his classes for his master’s degree in psychology.

Billy and his wife Beryl were married in March 2023 and just celebrated their first anniversary! He has a 25-year-old son and a yellow lab named Bootsy. Billy loves to express his creativity through his abstract and expressionist artwork using acrylic paints and oil crayons; he also loves writing poetry and is a published author. In 2020, he was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), which causes scarring of the kidneys and a decline in their function; he has been reliant on dialysis since 2021. Billy looks forward to the day when he will receive a transplant, be healthy again, and share his creative gifts with the world. Will you help him by sharing his story and/or by considering becoming a kidney donor?