This may not be a normal fun fact you hear, but for junior Brynn Rodgers, this is one that makes her unforgettable. Rodgers’ college journey started at Howard Community College in Big Spring, Texas, where she played softball and earned her associate degree in Science. She is now at SNU, continuing to play softball and study psychology.
Rodgers expressed, “I chose SNU because I wanted to be surrounded by a Christ-like community with people who were like-minded! I also knew once I came on my visit it was the place I needed to be after coming back from a hard surgery as well.”
Before arriving at SNU, Rodgers faced a difficult surgery that became an important part of her journey. During her junior year of high school, she started to notice swelling in her legs as well as experience severe headaches during softball season.
After being admitted to Cook Children’s Medical Center and undergoing more tests, Rodgers was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP). Four days later, she was informed that her kidneys were inflamed.
“They had put me on such a high dosage of steroids it made me gain 35 pounds within a week and a half—that was absolutely miserable,” she explained.
While going through all of this, Rodgers remained dedicated to softball as she entered her senior year of high school.
“I got to play all the sports my senior year while still being sick, but I just pushed through it because I loved it,” Rodgers said. “I then had to have treatments three times a week in a town 45 minutes away; my treatments were four hours each, sometimes five.”
After playing in her state championship softball game, she went back to the doctor, who told her she needed a kidney transplant. After seeking a second opinion, she found an honest doctor who told her the words her heart needed to hear.
“We found another doctor in Lubbock who is still my doctor now. On my very first appointment, he reassured me that I was going to be taken care of,” she said. “He also told me something I will never forget; he said, ‘I can give you all the medicine out there, but there is only one who can heal you. That is the Lord Jesus Christ.’ Since that day, I knew I was in the right place! God just continued to show up in my life. At the time, my doctor said I didn’t need a transplant yet, so we continued treatments and trials to see what would be best.”
After graduating high school, she accepted an offer to continue her athletic and academic career at Howard College. In September of her freshman year, however, she was told it was time for a kidney transplant. Her mother, father, and sister all underwent testing to see if they were a compatible match.
“[At] each appointment we had to do more tests, so they also did blood work on me too,” she said. “The second they did blood work, they took me to the ER and put me in the ICU immediately. They told me that if I would have waited a few days later, I could have gone into cardiac arrest and died. But by the grace of God, I am still here to share this story.”
After going through this frightening experience, Rodgers’ sister told her, “I am your donor.” Her sister, who was also playing college softball at the time, decided to step away from the sport, come home, and support her sister.
“She felt God was bringing her home, but she wasn’t sure why,” Rodgers said. She added that before finding out who her donor would be, she had a dream that the Lord came down and sat with her and her sister. In the dream, the Lord said, “Madison, you are your sister’s donor.”
Rodgers received news a few days later that not only was her sister, Madison, a match, but her mother and father were as well. Because her sister was the youngest, they chose her to be the donor.
“After finding out my sister was my donor, I broke into tears because she chose to be the one to save my life,” Rodgers said.
The surgery was completed on June 6, 2025, bonding the sisters forever.
“A day after my birthday was the day I got my new kidney,” she said. “I have a piece of my sister in me forever now, and there is no way to describe the feelings going on throughout my mind. My sister is my best friend, and still to this day, our bond is unbreakable. There is nothing in the world that I can do to repay her back for saving my life and choosing to do so. She is my hero forever! I thank God daily for giving me the ability to go through what I had gone through and for bringing me out even stronger than before.”
What Rodgers went through was more than just a medical procedure; it was a gift from God and her older sister. It demonstrates not only Rodgers’ strength as an individual, but the depth of her faith. After college, Rodgers plans to become a child-life specialist to provide others with the same care and support she received while in the hospital.
Photos provided by: Brynn Rogers
Photos taken by: Kelli Stolle