Welcome Home Chief Curry: Smithland Celebrates Fire Chief's Kidney Transplant | News

SMITHLAND, Ky. — A local community is celebrating the homecoming of a beloved first responder.

Smithland Fire Chief Bobby Curry has been battling kidney disease and searching across the country for a transplant for years.

The organ he needed was already at home.

It's the moment Bobby Curry has been waiting for two and a half years. He finally came home with a brand new kidney.

Sirens blared and horns blared to say, “Welcome home, Chief Curry.”

The tight-knit community of Smithland is celebrating the life of the man who put his on the line so many times to save theirs.

Curry said fighting fires gave him much-needed strength.

“That’s what kept me going. The thrust. Do the will of my community. To help others. It’s just my passion,” Curry said.

The organ he needed was much closer than expected.

On the other side of Livingston County was Curry's childhood friend, Kim Fox.

It had been 15 years since they last saw each other, but she knew she wouldn't let him fight alone.

“I don’t definitely consider myself an angel or a savior or anything like that. I just saw someone in need didn’t think for a second when I saw him,” Fox said.

Curry said he is taking time away from firefighting to heal.

He plans to continue once he is healthy.