Ed Hearn’s scrapbook contains a photo of the 1986 New York Mets seconds after they won the World Series, a black and white photo showing a mob of howling, ecstatic young men converging onto that invisible center called team camaraderie. Centered in that photo, back to the camera, is a player wearing a warm-up jacket, reading one word: Hearn

Then twenty-six years old, Ed Hearn thought that moment was the beginning of heaven. After eight-plus years in the minors, he finally had caught the big wave, a ride on the ‘86 Mets as a rookie catcher backing up eventual Hall of Famer Gary Carter. He was no longer six-foot-three inches of potential but was, as of that moment, a major leaguer destined for good times. Darn right he was smiling in that photo.

Now 43 years old, slamming down dozens of pills a day to make sure his third transplanted kidney functions better than the other two did, Ed Hearn still smiles. He works very hard at understanding what good times are. The numbness in his feet, the cascade of pills, the device he wears to combat sleep apnea, these are good things in the larger scheme of things, says Hearn.
"I was traded to the Kansas City Royals after 1986 and I was set to be their catcher, to really come into my own as a major leaguer. After years in the minors, I thought I knew perseverance. I had a lot to learn."

Shoulder injuries in 1987 spelled the beginning of the end of Hearn’s baseball career, and after that he entered major league health trouble. "When I was a teenager, doctors found protein in my urine and told me that some day I might have kidney trouble. I thought ‘Fine, maybe I'll have to deal with that when I'm an old man down the road.’"

"Some day" happened much sooner than anyone expected. "Once I stopped playing ball, it happened," said Hearn. "I believe that because I was a highly-conditioned athlete - and catchers are more conditioned than most - my body masked the symptoms of FSGS."

His first kidney transplant lasted more than seven years until, doctors said, the FSGS returned. (Other experts have told him that maybe the kidney, from a cadaver, wore out.) A transplant from an aunt in 2000 "never really started," he said, so he received his third transplant in May of 2002.

Throughout his post-baseball life, Hearn has looked for the meaning behind the disease and reached out to others, establishing a non-profit foundation and speaking to all sorts of audiences. "The speeches are fine," said Hearn, "but the real stuff happens afterward, when I walk into the audiences and start hearing the stories of people who need to make a connection."

His book, "Conquering Life’s Curves: Baseball, Battles & Beyond," details his development as a ballplayer and his growth as a human. In it, Hearn expresses his belief that his illnesses are part of God’s plan and "There is no greater satisfaction in life than knowing you’ve done something to help somebody out."

"When I read that Alonzo Mourning will get a transplant because of FSGS, I think back to what it did to me," he said. "I could have played in the big leagues for 20 years, but not have had the opportunity to impact peoples’ lives in ways I can now."

"Because of the challenges of this disease, I’ve had a chance to tell my story and hear the other stories of so many patients. These stories must be told."

Ed Hearn will gladly slip off his World Series ring to let those he meets gawk and try it on. He then puts the ring back on and talks about the people he has met, the private talks that mean so much. "The ring is important," he said, "but the best stuff I have received from others is in here," he said, tapping his heart.

More details about Ed Hearn and his work can be found at www.edhearn.com.