STATUS:
Waiting
Rufus Murphy decided to join the US Army in 1987 at the age of twenty-seven, because he was “looking for a different opportunity, wanted to travel and see the world and give back to his country”. He was well acquainted with Army life - being born and raised on Army bases due to his father’s service and looked on as some of his siblings also served in the Army. After basic training, he was sent to Germany and served in an 11 Mike Mechanized Infantry Unit specializing in Bradley fighting vehicles. Rufus served during Operation Desert Storm (1990-1991) in Saudi Arabia, then moved to Iraq all the way to Kuwait and spent three months in Basra.
He spent most of his five years in Germany so when the military began a drawdown, he was sent back to the US and tested experimental equipment at Fort Hunter Liggett, CA. His desire was to finish out his first 6-year enlistment and re-enlist to go to school to become an air traffic controller. Unfortunately, he was in a serious car accident that landed him in the hospital for 30 days, causing him to miss his chance to go, and received a medical discharge in 1993 from Fort Hood, TX, instead.
After his military service, Rufus started working for the Post Office from 1994-1999 but was medically retired due to his back issues from injuries he sustained in the car accident. He decided to go to school when he was 35 to keep himself busy and received an Associate's Degree and then went back to school and received his Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies/Law and Political Science.
In 2019, Rufus found out through routine bloodwork that he had high protein levels and was eventually diagnosed with glomerulonephritis. He has been relying on dialysis for 4 years to sustain his life, which leaves him fatigued quite often. Rufus and his wife, Cynthia, have been married for 11 years. They have four daughters and two granddaughters and Rufus would love to continue being a part of their lives.
With the gift of a new kidney, Rufus would also love to get back to traveling and being able to exercise and go to the gym! He has enlisted the help of a Veteran's organization called DOVE Transplant which is helping in his outreach to find his life-saving kidney donor. 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 this Veteran's life! Please click on the link below if you would like to learn more OR call 551-449-8319.
Rufus Murphy
Army Veteran
