Rivalry aside, Buffalo Bills fan donates kidney to save New England Patriots fan

(Spectrum News/CNN) - A Buffalo Bills fan who donated his kidney to a young woman - and New England Patriots fan - he had never met says he wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again, if he could.

Ken Burke, a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan, drove from Buffalo, New York, to Boston in March to donate a kidney to Cassie Yahnian, a woman in her 20s he had never met who also happens to be a New England Patriots fan.

“I was just looking through social media one day and happened upon a post of a young woman who was looking for a kidney. She seemed like she was having a pretty rough go. It spoke to me.... I thought that must be pretty terrible. She must feel pretty alone,” Burke said.

As the world was facing shutdowns from the coronavirus pandemic, Yahnian and Burke were recovering from their procedures. Despite the restrictions, Yahnian felt free. Leading up to the surgery, her life was filled with daily dialysis treatments, just struggling to keep her kidney disease from worsening.

Thanks to Burke, Yahnian is now feeling much better.

"I feel great. It was crazy. After surgery, after I got out of the hospital, within two weeks, I started hiking," she said.

Burke says that if he had to go back in time, he wouldn’t hesitate to make the same decision to donate his kidney, even if it was to the fan of a rival football team.