Alonzo Mourning (AM) is a NBA star and he plays center for the Miami Heat. His memoir, Resilience, was just published.

RHS: My guest today is the NBA star player, Alonzo Mourning. Alonzo is a seven time All Star Player, and he was voted NBA Defensive Player of the Year two years in a row. He has won an Olympic Gold Medal, and in 2006 his team, the Miami Heat, won the NBA title. Despite all of his success on the court, he has had his share of deep personal challenges and setbacks, including the discovery of a rare kidney disease that hit him at his peak. But through faith, Alonzo Mourning has turned his scars into stars. He has a new book titled, Resilience, where he details his journey. He's married to his beautiful wife Tracy, and together they have a son, Trey, and daughter, Myka.

Welcome with me this morning, Alonzo Mourning. Wow.

AM:  Good morning everyone.

RHS: You're the second NBA player we've had here.

AM:  Ah yeah, you had my old college teammate, Dikembe Mutombo.

RHS: Oh, he was a college classmate?

AM:  Yes, yes, he's a college classmate. He's a little bit taller than I am...

RHS: Yeah, he is a little taller...

AM:  ...looking up a little bit further, you know, but...

RHS: How tall are you?

AM:  I am 6 feet 10 inches and Dikembe was 7'2" he's 7'2", so...

RHS: Oh...four inches taller than you.

AM:  Four inches taller so I was looking up at someone else. Now I know how you feel.

RHS: (LAUGHS)

AM:  It's truly a pleasure to be here to...

RHS: Why?

AM:  Well to praise God number one, and at the same time to share with this amazing congregation my testimony. And I like to compliment you on this beautiful place of worship.

RHS: Wow. Tell us about your childhood. You were ten years old and you did something I cannot believe happened. What happened and why did you make the move you made?

AM:  Well my childhood was part of time of my life when I was going through some amazing challenges. My mother and father were going through a divorce and it would affect me very much emotionally. And then it came time for us to go through countless hours of counseling and like so many people in the world that go through the issues that they go through in different families, you know when changes are made, unfortunately I reached a point where I had through the court system...I had to decide whether or not I wanted to live with my mother or my father, and I loved them dearly. So at 12 years old, it was difficult for me to choose which parent I wanted to live with. So I elected to stay in the foster care system, and eventually, over a period of time, the job of the social services is to find families for the children that are in group homes and foster care. And I ended up in the hands of an amazing woman, her name was Fannie Threet, and throughout her lifetime she fostered 49 kids.

RHS: Is that in your book?

AM:  Yes it is in my memoir, Resilience. And she was so angelic and she touched so many lives, she left her sign of praise all over my life and she helped me understand the importance. So she was a retired school teacher and she stressed education which I carried with me throughout my life. I graduated from Georgetown in '92 with a sociology degree, and she helped me understand the importance of utilizing my faith as a crutch in getting through challenges in my life. You know, so she was very helpful in that aspect.

RHS: Wow, and you lived the faith. Tell me about your rare kidney disease?

AM:  Well in 2000 I was diagnosed with a genetic disorder called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a disease that deteriorates the filters of the kidney. And when I was diagnosed I had just come back from wining a gold medal in Sydney, Australia. I'd just come off an amazing season; first time NBA All Star Defensive Player of the Year. You know, and witnessing the birth of my daughter.

I was at a point where in I was in an extreme high in my life. And to come back from Sydney, Australia, and I had to go through a pre-season physical and that's how I heard that particular news. I was humbled and it totally put life in a totally different perspective. I knew that first and foremost I wasn't going to ask why me? I asked God why now? Evidentially there are some other things that He wanted me to do. And it was not basketball right now, you know, and eventually it's amazing how adversity introduces a man to himself.

You go through different trials and tribulations in your life, and it helps you stop and reflect and understand your true purpose here and not once did I give up. I could have easily given up. I was in a position where, you know, financially I was secure and I could have easily just given up. But I followed my heart which I encourage each and every one of you to do. Follow your heart because your heart will give you the answers and ask God for the direction. And I asked that.

I had to take a series of oral regiment over a three year period. My first diagnosis was that I would need a transplant within a year and I'd be on dialysis during that year. But it took about three years for that to happen. And I was blessed with an amazing blessing to have a cousin who donated a kidney in 2000 and the rest is history. I'm on my feet and again, you know, I'm sharing this testimony with so many others, that transplantation saves lives.

RHS: Wow. Going through that, the depths of hurt and despair and shock, and the heights of recovery through others and through God. What did that whole passage in your life do to your faith?

AM:  Well at the same time it meant going through those particular obstacles in my life is just the reason why I wrote this memoir, Resilience, to share my experience with individuals and influence them (obviously) to never give up. And to also to let them know that they have the ability, the God given ability to overcome adversities and challenges in their life. I mean I look at my overall scenario as a true blessing, because a lot of people look at their scenario as why it's terrible and it's a shame that he had to go through these particular things. But I look at it as a blessing because it enabled me to touch so many lives in the process. It's amazing how many lives I've touched. More lives going through this particular ordeal with organ transplant to organ donation. Being an advocate and a voice for that, I've touched more lives than I have on the basketball court.

RHS: Really?

AM:  Yeah, I think so. I really do. And it's truly been a blessing to be able to share my testimony with other individuals. To receive the letters and the words of encouragement and inspiration from other individuals telling me that I have provided hope for them to overcome a lot of the obstacles they're dealing with.

And I look at God as a triumphant God. He created each and every one of us with that particular ability to overcome and not succumb to certain disorders and obstacles in their lives. So it's important for us to first of all communicate with Him and He'll give us the answers that we need. And we got to be patient with Him because we might not get the answers we want immediately, but eventually we'll get the answers that we want.

And I feel that my purpose on this earth wasn't just to play basketball. It's to touch other people's lives throughout my experiences and that's why I was able, or influenced, to put my life on paper so I could share it with the world and encourage them to overcome a lot of the challenges that they face as well.

RHS: The title of your book is Resilience?

AM:  Yes.

RHS: It is a perfect title for you and what you've gone through. Do you remember going into surgery for the new kidney? And if so, what's the last thought you remembered before you went into the surgical room?

AM:  Well I had my family around me. I had my mother and my father, I had my wife and my children, and I had all my loved ones around me. And I just remember just, you know, putting it in God's hands. But I think the most significant memory was the day after the surgery laying in my hospital room. I looked down at my body. I was in the room just by myself and I saw the IV in my right arm, and on my left arm a heart monitor on, wires coming from everywhere, a catheter, and I was probably, this is a person that I relied...I relied so much on my strength to get me through...physical strength to get me through so many things.

It was a humbling experience. I was probably at the most vulnerable state I'd ever been, other than being an infant. So immediately I just started talking to God and I said, God if You can just give me the strength, give me my strength to just get back on my feet, I will utilize this particular experience to try to touch as many lives and use Your word to strengthen many lives through this whole process because I know of the 20 million individuals in our country that are battling chronic kidney disease. I know of the 20 more million who are at risk. I know of the thousands of individuals who are waiting on transplant lists, waiting for organs.

I want to be a voice for them, an advocate for them. To encourage them to never give up hope and understand that you can find so much strength in your faith and in believing that you will overcome. And it starts here like you said earlier, staying positive, keeping that positive in your mind, eventually the body will follow, and surrounding yourself with positive people.

RHS: So well stated. It starts with positive thinking and eventually, what you just said, the body will follow.

AM:  Yes.

RHS: Boy you've lived the wait life and look into the cameras and don't talk to me. Talk to strangers out there that you have never met that tune in and they're on the edge of hopelessness. Maybe the financial catastrophe or maybe physical ailment, I don't know what? Maybe career changes that are depressing and distressing, but there people basically what they need is the hope that you had. Talk to them.

AM: Well first of all I mean I know that Christ was put on this earth for a reason. You know during the 33 years that he spent on this earth he was here to set an example for each and every one of us. The Bible says that when Christ walked the face of the earth he was put here to serve and not to be served. And with that said if each and every one of us lives a fraction of the way that Christ lived on this earth, which again he was put here on Earth to show us how to live and teaching people healing individuals feeding individuals.

I mean you name it, He was here to show us how to live and the Bible is a blueprint to show us how to live. So trust God, understand the power that you have within you, the good that you have within you that the Creator made each and every one of us the goodness for us to continue to do good for others. And if you do good for others good things happen in your life.

So regardless of how bad you've got it, don't get discouraged but continue to make life better for somebody else and in turn it's going to happen in your life as well. And I do that through out my philanthropic endeavors and I know that through resilience, through your faith, through your focus, good things will evolve through your over all efforts. And stand diligent and trust in God and believing. That means so much...just believing.

RHS: Look into me, God I never met this man before in my life until this morning. I don't know him. But I can tell you Lord it takes one to know one. So I don't know you. Because I live in the faith and I see it glistening in your eye. He is within you and comes back again and again. Resilience you give it to him and Lord he needs many blessings, all of us do. But give him the blessing he needs most and does not have. I have no idea what that could be. Don't ask him he'd guess wrong, but you know what he needs most right. Now let the touch begin. Amen.
 
AM: Amen, amen. I want to let every body know that not only will the words in this memoir help change your life and help you take a different path afterwards with the challenges and obstacles that you may face, but also part of the proceeds from the sale of each book will go to kidney research as well. So you'll be helping so many thousands of individuals out there who are waiting on transplant lists. People who can't afford medications, you'll be helping those individuals out as well. So God bless you all and thank you so much.

RHS: Thank you thank you.