- IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO FIND POSITIVE STORIES
COMING OUT OF THE NFL LATELY, WHICH IS WHY I LOVE
THIS NEXT STORY ABOUT TWO BROTHERS.
- A PRO FOOTBALL STAR GIVING UP HIS CAREER
TO GIVE HIS BROTHER THE GIFT OF LIFE.
- DEFENSIVE LINEMAN MA'AKE KEMOEATU
HELPED THE RAVENS BRING HOME THE LOMBARDI TROPHY.
HIS LITTLE BROTHER CHRIS DID THE SAME FOR THE STEELERS.
- WHEN 31-YEAR-OLD CHRIS HAD TO END HIS PLAYING CAREER
BECAUSE HE NEEDED A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT,
IT WAS HIS OLDER BROTHER WHO WAS READY TO HELP,
AND IN THE PROCESS, ENDING HIS CAREER AS WELL.
- SOON AS MY BROTHER'S HEALTH WAS AT RISK,
I WANTED TO STOP EVERYTHING.
I WANTED TO.
- [singing] ONE DAY TO GET IT ALL RIGHT
- EVERYBODY'S HERE.
FAMILY'S HERE, SO I GOT A LOT OF SUPPORT.
- BENJI'S LIKE, "MAN, YOU GONNA BE IN PAIN."
LIKE, "PSSH, BENJI."
[clicks tongue] - [laughing]
- I'M LIKE WOLVERINE.
BUT IN THE BACK OF MY MIND, I'M LIKE,
"DANG, I HOPE IT'S NOT GONNA HURT."
[chuckles]
- [singing] YOU CAN COUNT ON ME
- I DON'T WANT HIM TO FEEL LIKE HE OWES ME ANYTHING.
HE'S MY BROTHER.
BUT WHAT I DO WANT IS A XBOX.
SO THAT WOULD BE GOOD.
A GOOD DEAL.
A KIDNEY FOR A XBOX.
IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE CARE
OF MY YOUNGER BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
IF ANY OF MY SIBLINGS NEED BLOOD,
IT WOULD BE MY BLOOD;
A KIDNEY, IT WOULD BE MY KIDNEY.
- [singing] PICK YOU UP WHEN YOU FALL
- I'M GONNA GO SEE MY BROTHER.
SEE HOW HE'S DOING WITH HIS NEW KIDNEY.
- [singing] YOU CAN COUNT ON ME
- [crying]
- NO BIGGER OR BETTER GIFT YOU CAN GIVE A BROTHER.
SO THANK YOU.
[singing] - A, B, C
- YOU CAN COUNT ON ME
- PLEASE WELCOME FORMER NFL PLAYERS,
SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS, MA'AKE AND CHRIS KEMOEATU.
FIRST OF ALL, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL AND TOUCHING STORY.
YOU'RE MA'AKE, RIGHT?
- YES. - OKAY.
AND, CHRIS, HOW ARE YOU FEELING, FIRST OF ALL?
- I'M FEELING GREAT. - YEAH? YOU LOOK GREAT.
- EVERY DAY. - BOTH OF YOU LOOK GREAT.
THIS IS AMAZING, THAT--
HOW LONG AGO DID THIS HAPPEN?
- 3 1/2 WEEKS AGO.
- YEAH, 3 1/2 WEEKS AGO. - WOW.
- BUT FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
WE'RE SO GRATEFUL TO BE HERE.
- WE LOVE YOU. - YEAH.
[cheers and applause]
THANK YOU. - HOW DO YOU FEEL?
- WE ARE GREAT.
WE ACTUALLY-- WHEN YOU GUYS CALLED, YOU KNOW,
WE SAID YES BEFORE WE COULD CHECK WITH OUR DOCTORS.
WE COULDN'T EVEN TRAVEL.
BUT WE WOULD, LIKE, DO ANYTHING.
WE'LL DRIVE HERE, WALK HERE, RUN HERE.
YOU KNOW, FIND A WAY DOWN HERE.
- THANKS SO MUCH. - THANK YOU.
- WELL, I'M SO GLAD THE DOCTOR SAID--
I THINK THE DOCTOR DIDN'T REALLY SAY IT WAS OKAY,
BUT YOU TALKED THE DOCTOR INTO IT, SO...
[both chuckle]
AND, OF COURSE, YOU COULD TALK ANYBODY INTO ANYTHING.
LOOK AT THE TWO OF YOU.
WHAT HAS CHANGED ABOUT--
OBVIOUSLY, YOU BOTH PLAY FOOTBALL--
WHICH IS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE,
THAT YOU BOTH HAVE SUPER BOWL RINGS.
THAT'S CRAZY THAT TWO BROTHERS HAVE SUPER BOWL RINGS, YOU KNOW?
[cheers and applause]
AND NOT TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO GET TO THAT POINT--
NOT TOO MANY PEOPLE WOULD RISK-- JUST GIVING THAT UP,
MAKE THAT CHOICE.
SO AMAZING THAT YOU DID THAT.
BUT WHAT HAS IT CHANGED IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP?
- IT WAS THE FIRST TIME FOR ME TO SAY, "I LOVE YOU"
TO MY BROTHER.
- REALLY? - YEAH.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE WERE RAISED IN A REAL TOUGH-LOVE TYPE--
YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF A TOUGH LOVE.
WE DON'T REALLY SAY IT TO EACH OTHER, 'CAUSE, LIKE,
"OH, THAT'S HILARIOUS. DON'T SAY THAT."
BUT WHEN WE WERE IN THE HOSPITAL
AND I WAS WATCHING HIM GO THROUGH EVERYTHING--
GOT THE HOSES HANGING OUT OF HIM
AND THE OXYGEN AND EVERYTHING--
AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS GONNA HAVE MY BROTHER
THE NEXT DAY, YOU KNOW?
THEN I WANTED TO TELL HIM, TO SAY, "YOU KNOW WHAT?
CHRIS, I LOVE YOU."
AND, YOU KNOW, HE JUST LOOKED AT ME.
HE JUST SMIRKED A LITTLE BIT AND SAID, "YEAH," SO...
[laughter]
YOU KNOW, HE HAD THE TUBES ON HIM,
AND HE COULDN'T REALLY SAY MUCH, SO...
- I WAS KIND OF NERVOUS.
I'M JUST THANKFUL HE WAS BRAVE ENOUGH
TO STEP UP AND ACTUALLY SAY IT, YOU KNOW?
- AND ONCE THE TUBES WERE GONE,
WERE YOU ABLE TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" TOO,
OR ARE YOU STILL JUST GOING, "YEAH"?
- [laughs] - I SAID I LOVED HIM.
- OH, GOOD, SO YOU'RE BOTH ABLE TO SAY "I LOVE YOU."
VERY IMPORTANT TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" TO PEOPLE,
'CAUSE LIFE IS VERY PRECIOUS.
WE'RE, YOU KNOW, NOT GUARANTEED ANYTHING,
AS YOU KNOW.
AND DO YOU MISS PLAYING FOOTBALL, EITHER OF YOU?
- WELL, I THINK BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN PLAYING FOOTBALL
FOR SO LONG, YOU KNOW, WE'VE MISSED OUT
SPENDING TIME WITH FAMILY.
YOU KNOW, FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO NFL WE'VE PLAYED,
AND WE JUST WANT TO GO BACK HOME AND BE WITH FAMILY.
WE'VE--NOW, WE'VE--
THE STRUGGLES THAT WE WENT THROUGH, AND--
LIKE, WE NEED TO BE AROUND FAMILY MORE OFTEN.
ALL THE THANKSGIVINGS, YOU KNOW? [cheers and applause]
- I KNOW.
WE ONLY SPEND CHRISTMAS AND THANKSGIVING--
I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THAT.
- YEAH, HALLOWEEN, THANKSGIVING,
YOU KNOW, HOLIDAYS, CHRISTMAS.
WE JUST WANT TO GO HOME AND BE WITH FAMILY.
- YEAH, WELL, I'M SURE.
NOW YOU GET TO DO THAT.
SO YOU SAID IN THE TAPE-- IN THE PACKAGE--
THAT YOU WANTED AN XBOX.
DID YOU GET YOUR XBOX?
- I'M STILL WAITING FOR THE XBOX.
- I SEE. - [laughs]
- WELL, WE--JUST IN CASE HE DOESN'T GET AROUND TO IT,
WE GOT YOU AN XBOX.
- OH!
[cheers and applause]
- [grunts]
[cheers and applause]
- THANK YOU. THANK YOU. - YOU'RE WELCOME.
AND JUST IN CASE YOU FORGET TO SAY "I LOVE YOU"--
WHICH YOU SHOULD SAY EVERY SINGLE DAY.
I WANT YOU ALL TO REMEMBER.
IF YOU'RE NOT SAYING IT, AT LEAST YOU SHOULD--
[laughter]
[cheers and applause]
- OH, YEAH. THANK YOU.
[both laughing]
- ALL RIGHT.
[cheers and applause]