The kidney transplant that formed a Bruin-Buckeye bond

As a Bruin, Hernando Marroquin '74 bleeds blue and gold through and through. But in July 2023, the Ohio State Buckeyes became a vital part of his life, thanks to a kidney transplant from a Midwestern donor.

Marroquin had been experiencing symptoms of kidney failure since the summer of 2021, and after connecting with Dr. Anjay Rastogi, head of nephrology and the CORE Kidney Program at UCLA Health, he was placed on the transplant waitlist and became a candidate for the program. The call Marroquin had been waiting for came in July 2023, and the transplant was successful.

Because of HIPAA privacy laws, the Marroquins - Hernando and his wife, Fran Marroquin '73 - were initially unable to connect directly with the donor. "We sent messages through our transplant coordinator. I gave my name, my phone number, sent letters - the works," Hernando said. "I was so thankful. I just wanted to express my gratitude."

The messages were passed to the donor through the transplant network coordinated by the University of Cincinnati. And in late 2024, Hernando received a reply from Dave Jessen, a retired mechanical engineer from Wapakoneta, Ohio, and a lifelong Buckeyes fan. Phone calls followed. A friendship began to take shape. And when the opportunity arose to meet in person, the setting felt almost too fitting.

On Nov. 15, 2025, Marroquin's Bruins traveled to Columbus to face Jessen's Buckeyes. Before kickoff, the UCLA Alumni Association hosted a Bruin Bash pregame event at the Schottenstein Center on the campus of Ohio State University.

Read the full story of their meetup at the UCLA Alumni website.