Ex-Baltimore Raven donates kidney to brother, an ex-Pittsburgh Steeler

The rivalry between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers is one of the fiercest in sports, but that didn’t stop one former Raven from donating a kidney to a former Steeler.

In August, after dealing with kidney problems since he was 8 years old, Chris Kemoeatu received a transplant from his brother, Ma’ake Kemoeatu, according to the Ravens website.

Both are Super Bowl champions from rival teams.

After seven seasons with the Steelers, Chris Kemoeatu retired in 2011 because of kidney problems. Following his retirement, doctors told him he was in need of a transplant.

After learning he was a 99% match for his brother, Ma’ake Kemoeatu made the decision to retire from the NFL following the Ravens’ 2012 Super Bowl victory -- a game in which he started.

“He couldn’t play anymore, and I didn’t want to be in a position where he couldn’t play but I’d keep playing,” Ma’ake Kemoeatu said. “As soon as my brother’s health was at risk, I wanted to stop everything.”

But before the surgery could take place, Ma’ake Kemoeatu, who weighed 385 pounds, had to lose some weight in order to be able survive with only one kidney.

Complicating matters, just before the operation, doctors found that Chris Kemoeatu had coronary heart disease, meaning he required bypass surgery before he could have the transplant.

After that, the transplant, on Aug. 27., was successful.

“The kidney we got from Ma’ake was probably the largest normal kidney I’ve ever seen,” said Dr. Stephen Barlett, the surgeon who performed the procedure. “Man, when that thing came out, I felt like somebody threw me a small football.”

Said Ma’ake Kemoeatu: “I’m a Raven. He’s a Steeler. At our household, it’s kind of split in half. For this procedure, we had to come together.”