John's story, told by others.

2 Tulsa educators hoping to do paired kidney donation through program now offered at Ascension St. John

News On 6's first feature on John and Kraig. Amy Slanchik sat down with both men and with Holly Wall, the registered nurse and Clinical Operations Supervisor at Ascension St. John's Kidney Transplant Center who spent two years building the partnership with the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation. The piece introduces Tulsa to the concept of paired donation and to the two friends at its center.

"It kind of excites me because thinking that not just one person is going to get a lifesaving organ, but potentially multiple people."

— Kraig Mewbourne, on his decision to remain enrolled as a paired donor

"That immediately changed my outlook. It immediately made me have hope again."

— John Watkins, on learning paired donation was an option

Why it matters: This was the first piece of mainstream Oklahoma media coverage to explain how paired donation works to a general audience. It is also the piece that establishes Ascension St. John as the first Oklahoma transplant center to partner with APKD.

Ochoa assistant principal seeks kidney donation through new program

Union Public Schools, John's employer of more than twenty years, published an official call to action on the district website. The article was shared widely across the Union community of staff, parents, and alumni. It explicitly invites community members to consider being tested as living donors and gives the contact information for Ascension St. John's transplant program.

Why it matters: A school district rarely uses its official communications channel to ask the public to consider donating an organ. This article signals how seriously Union takes John's situation. It is also a credibility surface that turns the question "is this real?" into a clear yes, because the publishing source is a school district, not the family itself.

Paired kidney donation options expanding in Oklahoma

A follow-up segment on News On 6's health vertical, supported by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET). The piece zooms out from John and Kraig to discuss paired kidney donation more broadly in Oklahoma, including Integris Health's paired donation program in Oklahoma City, which has been running since 2008 and has completed roughly 30 exchanges. The segment also includes Holly Wall's deeper explanation of how APKD's algorithm finds matches across 50 transplant centers nationwide.

"I do believe that there's somebody out there. I have faith that it's going to happen."

— John Watkins, on his match through paired donation

Why it matters: This second segment widens the story's audience beyond people who happened to catch the first piece. It also positions John's situation as part of a broader Oklahoma movement, not an isolated case. The segment was syndicated on News9.com as well.

Kraig Mewbourne named Edison Middle School Teacher of the Year

Kraig Mewbourne, John's lifelong friend and would-be kidney donor, was named the 2025-2026 Edison Preparatory Middle School Teacher of the Year. Kraig teaches 8th grade U.S. History, Advanced U.S. History, and Leadership at Edison. This recognition came from his own school district, Tulsa Public Schools, where he has worked for years.

Why it matters: The man volunteering to give John a kidney is not a peripheral figure. He's an award-winning educator at his own district. His willingness to step away from a successful career to donate an organ — to John or to a stranger through paired donation — carries weight precisely because of who he is professionally. This story tells donors: both of these men are excellent at what they do, and one is asking strangers to help save the other.

Tulsa Public Schools names 2026 Teacher and Support Professional of the Year

Tulsa World, the city's newspaper of record, published the full list of finalists for Tulsa Public Schools District Teacher of the Year. Kraig Mewbourne was named among the finalists — a district-wide recognition of his teaching that goes well beyond the Edison Middle School honor in February.

Why it matters: Independent newspaper validation that Kraig is one of the top teachers in his entire district. The Tulsa World citation is the third major recognition of Kraig in 2026 alone. It is the kind of credibility detail that protects this campaign from any skepticism about who is involved.

John Watkins is the assistant principal at Ellen Ochoa Elementary

The official profile page for John's school confirms his role and his history with the district: assistant principal intern at Ellen Ochoa in 2023, and the 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year at Grove Elementary before that. Twenty years of work in Tulsa public education.

Why it matters: John is exactly who he says he is. Twenty-plus years of service, a Teacher of the Year recognition, currently in school leadership. The school's own page documents his role and his career.