While Anthony Espinoza and Beth Wagner will cheer for opposing teams on Oct. 19 as the Browns face the Dolphins in Week 7, they will also cheer together in celebration for a renewed outlook on life for Espinoza.
After officially finding out she was a match about a month ago, Wagner will be donating one of her kidneys to Espinoza, who is currently on the kidney transplant list.
"For me, I look at it like she's giving me the most amazing gift I could ask for," Espinoza said. "More time with my kids and my family and my friends. And it's very overwhelming."
Espinoza began experiencing vision issues about two years ago and underwent checks for diabetes. Espinoza said those tests showed his A1C was 14.1 and was put on a treatment plan for diabetes. As he continued taking medication to manage the diabetes, concerns arose about his kidney numbers.
As he worked to manage the diabetes and concerns of his kidney function, Espinoza said he dealt with water retention in his body, causing him to gain weight that affected his ability to move and do daily tasks. His doctor then suggested to start dialysis to help with the water weight and to be healthy enough to receive a kidney transplant.
After going on the transplant list, he began dialysis, which requires 10-hour daily sessions. He changes when he goes in for the treatment sessions based on his schedule and plans throughout the week in order to stay healthy enough to receive the transplant.
"I'm very diligent about anything they need me to do, any anything they recommend I do it," Espinoza said. "It was pretty brutal for a while, but now it's better. I can function, I can do all the things I want to do, just not on the level that I normally can. I'm a lot better."
After Wagner found out Espinoza had to on the transplant list, she began looking into the requirements to find out if she was a match. She submitted her medical history but was informed she had to be within a certain BMI to be eligible as a match. Wagner said she worked to lose the weight to reach that BMI, and once she did, went in to have the blood work and testing done to see if she was compatible.
"When they called me and told me we're going to have you redo a couple of these tests, just to make sure everything is still consistent, I said okay, and they put it in. And then we got off the phone, and I thought, they haven't even told me something to match yet," Wagner said. "So, I called back and asked, 'Do you have the results to see if I'm compatible?' And so, she came back and she said, 'You are compatible.' And I thought that's cool, not realizing that that literally means I can donate."
The realization sank in for Wagner know though once she called Espinoza to share the news with him. As she told him that she was compatible, Espinoza became emotional. They then shared the news with Espinoza's mother and girlfriend over Facetime, followed by tears of joy at the good news.
"It was just that little bit of hope that kicked my butt into gear a little," Espinoza said. "I do everything I've got to do, and I grind through all this, but to know that there's a possibility of no more dialysis, no more none of this, and just a chance to feel normal."
Espinoza, Wagner and about eight of their friends already had plans to travel to Cleveland for the matchup between the Browns and the Dolphins. As an avid Dolphins fan – which dates back to choosing the Dolphins as his team in the Nintendo game called Techno Super Bowl that blossomed into becoming a fan of former QB Dan Marino and rooting for the Dolphins – they looked for a game to attend this season. Espinoza's friend, Brian Goddard, brought up the idea of attending the Browns and Dolphins game in Week 7.
Wagner, who is a lifelong Browns fan, heard of the idea and joined in on the travel plans. Wagner's fandom goes back to her childhood as her late father raised her to root for the Browns. She attended games as a child with her father and attended the Browns' matchup against the Rams in 2023 in Southern California. She even has Brownie tattooed on her arm – the same tattoo to match the one her father had on his calf following his passing – with an inscription of one of the birthday cards he gave her.
They gathered a few other friends with interest in the game to form a group of eight, who traveled to Cleveland ahead of Sunday's game. They visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio and explored the city of Cleveland ahead of Sunday's game.
When they walk into Huntington Bank Field on Oct. 19, Wagner will have on all of her Browns gear, while Espinoza will sport his love of the Dolphins. But at the heart of it all is the celebration of a new chapter for Espinoza, and a friend willing to help.
"We turned it into a celebration for our situation and a last hurrah before things get moving," Wagner said.
