New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady's former coach Tom Martinez is suffering from multiple physical problems, including kidney failure.
He undergoes dialysis four times a week for 16 hours.
He goes to physical therapy to try to get his frail body in shape for a kidney transplant, and now he's learned that he also has heart disease.
"Poor guy can not catch a break," says wife Olive. "If something can go wrong in a procedure for someone, it goes wrong for him."
So now the student is helping the coach.
A few weeks before the Super Bowl Tom Brady asked his fans on Facebook to go to MatchingDonors.com to undergo testing to see if they are a potential compatible kidney donor.
"The exposure was unbelievable," says Martinez, "because I've been on this for four years, and they tell you you're on a list but the list lives forever."
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Although no matching donor has yet been found, no one is giving up.
"Hopefully he's gonna get a kidney here pretty soon," says Brady. "I'm sure hoping he gets one."
Brady says Martinez has been a great friend for a long time.
"He taught me to throw the football at a young age."
Martinez recalls Brady as just unremarkable 13-year-old kid who grew into greatness.
"We have a relationship that's very, very unique," says Martinez. "He would like me to work with him more, and I would like to work with him more, but the travel factor is difficult because of my illness."
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