All San Diego Chargers fans share camaraderie. But Charlton Lynch and Louis Munoz share something even greater.
Charlton and Louis have both been season ticket holders for almost a decade. The two men played on the same Little League team, but had not seen each other for years—until they were randomly seated next to each other at Qualcomm Stadium.
As Charlton explains, he was originally assigned a different seat, but requested to move a seat out of the sun.
“Due to the grace of God and the Chargers ticket office, they placed me next to Louis and his wife,” Charlton said.
Louis instantly recognized Charlton, and they became fast friends, cheering on the Bolts at every home game. When Charlton started missing games, Louis and his wife became concerned.
What they didn’t know was that Charlton was going through kidney dialysis and didn’t always have the strength to attend.
“Dialysis started kicking in, and it takes a toll on you mentally and physically,” Charlton said.
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After Charlton explained why he was absent, Louis’ wife suggested he get tested to see if he was a match.
“I’ve have been going through this for quite a while. I’ve had numerous people step up and say they want to get tested, but not follow through,” Charlton said.
But Louis did follow through and turned out to be a perfect match.
When it came to deciding whether or not to donate, Louis said, “No hesitation. I was mostly excited for him.”
In October, doctors at UC San Diego performed the successful kidney transplant.
“I was so excited at that moment (before surgery) because I knew my life was about to change,” Charlton said.
Louis, a middle school teacher, had to miss two months of worth, but says it was worth it.
“Two months of downtime will put 20 years back to his time,” Louis said.
The kidney has given Charlton a new lease on life.
“I’m still in awe of the sacrifices he made,” Charlton said.
“It is crazy. It’s kind of like the season the Chargers are having this year,” Louis said. “No one expected anything from them, and look at them now.”
