PULLMAN, Wash. — Diehard Coug fans from across the nation traveled to Pullman this week to catch College GameDay’s show in the Palouse on Saturday, but one fan has taken ‘diehard fan’ to a whole new level.
Justin Carstens, 27, battles with kidney disease, and he chose to skip his dialysis treatment in Kettle Falls to see GameDay visit Pullman at long last. Carstens scored tickets to the game when one Coug fan posted they had extra tickets to give to someone who would “represent the true spirit of being a Coug."
Carstens’ cousin initially responded to the post with a comment about Carsten’s kidney failure and his ongoing search for a donor. Then, Carstens hopped on to explain his situation in more detail.
“I explained I went to WSU through 2009 to spring 2011, and I was dealing with health issues at that time, and that forced me to drop out and now I have kidney failure. I’m on dialysis,” Carstens said. “I do a dialysis every night at home on a machine. I went on to explain that I’m a diehard Coug because I’m going to miss my dialysis treatment in order to make it to College GameDay.”
Carstens coaches football in Kettle Falls. He said he has every intention of being in Pullman Saturday, with a few signs to show his passion for the Cougs.
“I saw it as an opportunity for me to promote my kidney issues and possibly find a living kidney donor. So I made a sign that says I skipped my dialysis treatment for College GameDay – kind of a lighter sign,” Carstens said. “Then my cousin will hold a sign that says, ‘Justin Carstens needs a kidney,’ with a telephone number to the kidney center where I’m getting my transplants from.”
