Kidney Transplant at Henry Ford Hospital Gives Former Detroit Tigers Announcer Bobb Vergiels a Second Chance

• Former Detroit Tigers announcer Bobb Vergiels received a life-saving kidney transplant at Henry Ford Hospital. 
• A stranger's offer to donate a kidney led to a paired exchange that enabled two successful transplants.
• A living donor kidney allowed Vergiels to undergo a robotically assisted transplant before he needed dialysis. 

DETROIT — For 15 years, Bobb Vergiels helped fans celebrate the highs and endure the lows of Detroit Tigers baseball at Comerica Park. Now, the former stadium announcer is marking a hard-fought victory of his own, thanks to a fellow sports fan.  

After years of declining kidney function and a diagnosis of Stage 4 kidney failure, Vergiels is thriving after he received a life-saving kidney transplant at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.  

The Need for a Kidney

After leaving the Detroit Tigers, Vergiels remained active behind the microphone, announcing for the University of Toledo soccer team, the Toledo Mud Hens, the Toledo Walleye, and local high school athletics.

At the same time, he was battling kidney-related health challenges.  Numerous procedures and passing more than 100 kidney stones had taken a toll. By 2024, his kidney function had deteriorated to the point that he would eventually need a transplant or have to go on dialysis.

When another health system determined he was not a candidate for organ transplant, he sought care at Henry Ford Hospital, home to the Henry Ford Transplant Institute, one of the nation's leading multi-organ transplant centers. 

"I had heard Henry Ford was the Cadillac of transplant programs," Vergiels said. "Knowing I was in those hands took away a lot of the fear and uncertainty."

Now all Vergiels needed was a kidney donor. 

A Message Through the Glass 

While announcing a Toledo Walleye game in January 2026, Vergiels noticed a hockey fan trying to get his attention. She held her phone up to the rink-side glass with a message: 

"I hear you need a kidney." 

The woman volunteered to be tested as a donor.

Her willingness to donate made a paired kidney donation possible. Her kidney went to another recipient, while Vergiels received a more compatible living donor kidney through the exchange.

The result: two successful transplants instead of one.

“For patients awaiting a transplant, paired kidney donation can create opportunities that otherwise may not exist,” said Dr. Atsushi Yoshida, Vergiels' surgeon and division head of transplant surgery at Henry Ford Health. “Living donors play a critical role in helping more patients receive lifesaving transplants.”  

Finding a Path Forward 

Following a comprehensive evaluation, Dr. Yoshida and the Henry Ford Transplant Institute team determined Vergiels could safely undergo a kidney transplant at age 74.

"There's a common misconception that older adults aren't candidates for kidney transplantation.” Dr. Yoshida said, "What matters most is a patient's overall health and whether they can safely benefit from a transplant."

In July 2026, Vergiels underwent a robotically assisted kidney transplant, a minimally invasive approach that can help reduce recovery time. Henry Ford Health is the only transplant center in Michigan to offer robotic-assisted kidney transplantation.

The timing of the transplant — and the availability of a living donor kidney — proved especially important.

"One of the biggest advantages of living donation is that it can allow patients to receive a transplant before they ever need dialysis," Dr. Yoshida said. "Living donors help give recipients the best outcomes. They’re healthier at the time of transplant and recover more quickly afterward." 

A Second Chance 

Vergiels says he credits the hockey fan’s selfless decision with changing the course of his life.

"Even though I didn’t receive her kidney, none of this would have happened without her," he said. "She gave me a second chance."

Now recovering, Vergiels will soon be back behind the microphone, returning to the teams and communities that have shaped his life and career.

"I'm grateful. I feel great. And I'm ready to keep living." 

Learn More About Kidney Transplant at Henry Ford Health

Henry Ford Health's kidney transplant program provides evaluation, living donor transplantation, paired kidney donation, and comprehensive care for patients with advanced kidney disease. 

To learn more about kidney transplantation or becoming a living donor, visit henryford.com/transplant. 

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MEDIA CONTACT: mediarelations@hfhs.org