GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) - Many of us will be sharing this Thanksgiving with friends and family and for some it will be extra special.
There are ten people alive today through a kidney donation chain that was started by a Grand Rapids firefighter.
Harry Damon donated his kidney to a young woman in California who would have died if it hadn't been for the transplant-- without even knowing her. That set off a chain reaction allowing ten people across the United States to receive their kidneys.
National Kidney Registry honored Harry's selfless act with the American Hero's Award.
And while Harry was appreciative of the recognition, he said he couldn't call himself a hero,
"My health was not suffering but my spirit was and giving this gift to someone in need and knowing that it was passed on again and again and again renewed my soul and brought me back to the ones I loved."
Harry used the donation to help him heal his broken heart -- after his 21-year-old son Nick was killed, "He had this freak accident it was only his second time on a snowmobile... it caught us all very much by surprise."
It gives Harry Peace to know that while his son's life was lost, ten lives were saved.
And the giving doesn't stop there for Harry Damon. He has elected to take early retirement from the Grand Rapids Fire Department so that someone else's' job can be saved due to city budget cuts.
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