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EP 144: When Everything Changes Overnight: Corie Blount on Fighting for His Son, CJ

Episode Description:

On this episode of This Thing Called Life, former University of Cincinnati standout and 11-year NBA veteran Corie Blount shares a deeply personal story far beyond the game.

His 25-year-old son, CJ, went from a simple headache and fatigue to a life-altering diagnosis: dangerously high blood pressure and severe kidney disease.

With no family history, the news came out of nowhere.

Now on dialysis, CJ is waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant as Corie and their family begin the emotional journey of seeing who might be a match.

This conversation is about more than basketball, it’s about fatherhood, resilience, and what it means to show up when everything shifts in an instant. Corie also reflects on life after the NBA—from co-hosting Legends Unplugged with Terry Nelson to his work on the Bob Huggins documentary.

It’s an honest, powerful look at how quickly life can change and the strength it takes to fight for the people you love.

Episode Highlights

Host Andi Johnson welcomes former NBA player Corie Blount, whose connection to both the University of Cincinnati and the organ donation community brings depth and perspective to the conversation.
Corie reflects on his basketball journey—from his time at the University of Cincinnati to an 11-year NBA career playing alongside legends like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Scottie Pippen.
He shares his deep connection to Cincinnati, describing it as home and a place that continues to shape his life beyond basketball.
The conversation shifts as Corie opens up about his son CJ’s sudden health crisis, which began with what seemed like minor symptoms—headaches and fatigue—but quickly escalated.
After being taken to the emergency room, CJ was diagnosed with extremely high blood pressure and severe kidney failure, leaving the family in shock.
Corie candidly describes the emotional impact of the diagnosis and the steep learning curve his family faced in understanding kidney disease, dialysis, and transplant options.
CJ is now undergoing dialysis treatments while awaiting a kidney transplant, and Corie shares how the family has rallied together to support him physically and emotionally.
Despite the challenges, CJ continues to show strength, positivity, and resilience, even after graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in business.
Corie emphasizes the importance of being present as a family, recalling how loved ones stayed by CJ’s side in the hospital to ensure he never felt alone.
He shares his willingness to become a donor himself and speaks about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle—both for donors and recipients.
The episode highlights the importance of organ donation awareness, particularly the need for more people to consider living donation.
Andi explains how simple it is to begin the donor testing process, often starting with a basic mouth swab.
The conversation introduces the concept of paired kidney exchange, where donors who are not a direct match can still help save lives through a matching network.
Corie expresses gratitude for organizations like Network for Hope, which help educate families and guide them through the transplant journey.
Beyond his family’s story, Corie shares updates on his life after basketball, including his podcast “Legends Unplugged” and involvement in the Bob Huggins documentary.
The episode concludes with a powerful call to action—encouraging listeners to get informed, consider donation, and support families navigating similar challenges.

Key Takeaways

Health Crises Can Happen Without Warning
CJ’s story is a reminder that serious health conditions can develop unexpectedly, even without a known family history—making awareness and regular checkups essential.
Support Systems Make All the Difference
In moments of crisis, the presence of family, community, and trusted organizations provides strength, stability, and hope.
Organ Donation Saves Lives—and Starts With Awareness
From simple testing to paired exchanges, understanding the donation process can open doors to life-saving opportunities for those in need.

Tweetable Quotes

“I have an indebtedness of gratitude to the city and the university, and that's why I'm still here, and this is home now.”

Corie Blount

“ It's more of a learning curve for me, and then just trying to make sure that let him know he's loved and that we're supporting him. He's never alone. Whenever he was at the hospital, our whole family was there sleeping on the couches and on the floors and everything, just to show our support. We're supporting it now through this; it's just a learning curve.”

Corie Blount

“I appreciate what you guys did with the program, that you guys have to bring awareness to his situation, and it kind of educated me also.”

Corie Blount

“I never even knew you could live with one kidney, right when you met someone saying that they needed a kidney, like, 'Man, if I get my kidney up. How am I going to live? How is my life going to be moving forward?’

But the good thing that I've learned is that you have to treat your body right, no matter what.”

Corie Blount

“And it's important also to say that to be tested to be a living kidney donor, it's actually a very simple process, and it starts with a mouth swab. They send you a Q tip, it's a longer Q tip, and they do a mouth swab, and that's how the process starts.”

Andi Johnson

“It's hard for someone that you know, being of such a young age, you know, I think too, though it is helpful that he is young and doing the dialysis versus being older.”

Corie Blount

“Well, our hope and prayer is that you are the match, and if not, it's someone else in the family or but I would, I would not be surprised if there aren't people just knocking down the door to see if they would be a match for CJ.”

Andi Johnson

“Interesting fact about the living kidney donation process is that even if you're not a match for CJ, or if anyone else wants to be tested, and they're not a match for CJ, but they can still be a donor. Then there's this program. It's called the Paired Kidney exchange. So then you, for example, would donate to someone else that you were a match for, and then someone else who was a match for CJ would then donate for him.”

Andi Johnson

“Man, this is phenomenal that I don't know how we would have been able to deal with what we deal with. And fortunately, organizations like yourselves are stepping up and getting people to understand what's going on, and it's definitely needed.”