By JACK PALMER
palmer@crescent-news.com

When D.J. Batt offered to donate a kidney, Robert Boykin thought his friend was kidding.

Batt was dead serious.

“Robert is a true friend, and it was an easy decision,” said Batt, who lives in Defiance. “We were fraternity brothers and we’re still
brothers. He would have done the same thing for me.”

Batt, 33, met Boykin at the University of Findlay 15 years ago. At first glance, they were the odd couple.

Boykin came from inner city Toledo, Batt from rural Continental.
Boykin played football, Batt ran track.

Boykin roots for the New York Yankees and Detroit Pistons. Batt’s teams are the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Lakers.

Boykin is a staunch University of Michigan fan. Batt is a die-hard Ohio State Buckeye.

Oh yes, one more thing: Boykin is black. Batt is white.

“We became instant friends in college and joined the Alpha Sigma Phi
fraternity together,” recalled Batt. “We have remained close ever
since. We may not agree on sports teams, but Robert has always had my
back.”

On July 20, 2006, Batt had Boykin’s back - and then some.

That day one of Batt’s kidneys was transplanted into Boykin’s ailing
body at Medical University of Ohio Hospital in Toledo. Less than two months later, both are doing well.

“I feel great,” said Boykin. “At first doctors checked me out once a
week, and now it’s once a month. It’s nice to be off dialysis. I can’t
thank D.J. enough for doing this.”

Boykin, 34, is a graduate of Rogers High School and still lives in Toledo. He comes from a family of eight children.

“Robert was a defensive tackle on our 1992 NAIA national championship
football team,” said Batt. “He’s always had a great personality. In college we did a lot of fun stuff together, but also serious stuff like Bible study.”

“Ever since college, we would get together at least every two months,”
said Boykin. “I would usually drive down to Defiance, we would talk and watch sports on TV. Sometimes we would drive to Findlay and hang out at the fraternity house.”

Boykin began having medical problems about seven years ago.

“There were times when he was in so much pain he couldn’t walk,” said Batt. “It wasn’t normal and it wasn’t like Robert to act that way.”

Doctors originally thought it was gout, but a kidney problem was diagnosed as the culprit in 2000.

“They said one of my kidneys was working at 30 percent efficiency,”
said Boykin.

Two years later, they told him he would soon need a new kidney.

“One of my brothers was a match, and we even reached the point of final testing before the transplant,” said Boykin. “That’s when we found out he had kidney stones.”

It took Boykin several months to tell Batt what happened.

“We were talking about his transplant and he said it fell through,” said Batt. “He said he wasn’t going to get his hopes up the next time.”

Batt had offered to be Boykin’s donor a few years before.

“When I found out his family didn’t pan out, I told him I would still do it,” said Batt. “I still didn’t know if I was a match.”

This time Boykin, now on dialysis three times per week, took his friend seriously.

“Once the testing started, it went pretty fast,” said Batt. “They asked me how soon I could do it. I said tomorrow.’ It didn’t happen that soon, but they got the message.”

From a procedural standpoint, the transplant could not have gone better. Batt was out of the hospital in three days, Boykin in five.

“I was never worried, I just trusted God,” said Boykin. “Even after it fell through with my brother, I put my trust in Him.”

“I want to thank all the Medical University of Ohio doctors and resident doctors,” said Batt. “Amy Miller, the transplant coordinator, was great. We were treated so well.”

Batt hopes to return to work at Johns Manville early next month.

Boykin, a junior high basketball coach, is looking forward to the upcoming season.

“I would like to coach at the high school level eventually,” he said. “But right now junior high is where I’m supposed to be. I enjoy coaching those kids.”

Being off work the last two months has provided both men an opportunity to spend more time together.

“We’ve been watching SportsCenter and a lot of football games lately,”
said Batt. “I’m still trying to get him to switch to Ohio State, but he won’t. I should have made that part of the deal.”

Turning serious, Batt said he has gained as much from the transplant experience as Boykin.

“I thank God for this opportunity to help my best friend,” stated Batt, who attends weekly Mass at St. Augustine Catholic Church in
Napoleon. “This whole experience has strengthened my faith.”

“But I still should get brother of the year at the fraternity,” he laughed.

Batt, son of the late Donald (Bub) Batt Jr., and Helen Davis, Dupont, thanked his family and his girlfriend, Megan Taylor, for their
support. He has four siblings, Nora King, rural Defiance; Amy and Dennis, Dupont; Dennis, and Amber, Defiance.

“They knew Robert needed a new kidney,” said Batt. “They were all very positive about me being the donor.”

“I thank my family and his family,” added Boykin. “We’re brothers, so
his family is my family.”