When Jared Dey and wife Karina walked through the tunnel in the south end zone of Texas A&M’s Kyle Field, he turned to his spouse and said, “This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Here’s why.
Doctors told Jared that he would soon lose his eyesight, as soon as in six months, due to medical complications. Jared could still see partially out of his right eye and intended to take full advantage of the time he had left to see. On this day, they were taking a tour of the A&M campus to get a last look at the university where Karina had studied.
Even though he was born in Atlanta, Jared (now a San Antonio resident) has been a Texas A&M fan for as long as he can remember. He wanted to go to school there but never got the chance. The next best thing was marrying an Aggie alum.
Jared noticed eye issues a few months earlier, and doctors told him he had a detached retina caused by Type 2 diabetes. He had surgery for the retina issue but soon learned he had other health issues, and they also serious ones, too. In Stage 4 kidney failure, Jared began dialysis as the search proceeded to find a kidney donor. It was a short search because Karina was a perfect match, and Jared received her kidney a few months later.
Jared stayed positive through it all, telling Karina, “Let’s do all the things while we still can.” One of those things was walking out of the tunnel at Kyle Field. Dey wanted to replicate what A&M players do on game day.
Well, he got his chance–not on game day, mind you, but on a Monday–and it was a big deal. “It’s one of the biggest things I’ve ever done.”
Jared & Karina at Kyle Field (photo, Bryan College Station Eagle, article by Alex Miller, September 4, 2023)
