Grateful patient offers rare bourbon to benefit UK Transplant Center, KCH
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 3, 2024) — Nearly four years after his kidney transplant, Fred Noe still wakes up every day, grateful for his second start.
The master distiller at James B. Beam Distilling Co. and descendant of Jim Beam himself, Noe knew he was at risk for kidney disease. When he found out his disease had damaged his kidneys beyond repair, he didn’t have to look far for help. His longtime friend and colleague DeeAnn Hogan, stepped up in a big way and became his donor.
“I'm a pretty giving person,” said Hogan. “I try to do everything for the good of all. And God gave me two kidneys, I only need one, and I’m healthy enough. I take care of myself, and all the stars lined up and it was perfect.”
Full of gratitude for his friend and for the staff and providers at UK Transplant Center, Noe wanted to find a way to not just give back, but pay it forward.
“I wanted to do something special to celebrate those who made this journey possible,” said Noe.
Noe knows bourbon. So, he’s offering up a unicorn of a spirit — the first ever Knob Creek 20-year single barrel from the James B. Beam Distilling Co. Also included in the sweepstakes are the blue label single barrel Booker’s “Second Chance Batch,” Baker’s 13 short barrel that yielded only 36 bottles, the Willett Family Estate 10-year special bottles for UK Healthcare, E.H. Taylor Jr., Blanton’s Gold, Weller Full Proof, Old Forester and Maker’s Mark.
The sweepstakes opened Dec. 1 and closes Dec. 12. The drawing will be held on Dec. 14. Tickets to the Sweepstakes Gala are also available, an event that features bourbon tastings, silent auction dinner, music and more. As with all sweepstakes, there is a free entry option, and all donations will go directly to the UK Transplant Center and Kentucky Children’s Hospital. You must be 21 or older to enter.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and Kentucky’s top hospital ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.