Best friends. Brothers in blue. And soon, blood brothers after kidney donation

HANOVER – Jonathan Frattasio said his childhood friend Doug Smith was known as the “Hanover tough guy” growing up.

That toughness ultimately landed Doug “The Thug” Smith in the ring as a Golden Gloves boxer and later on the ice as a professional hockey player, taking on the role of enforcer.

But Frattasio said Smith’s real toughness is measured in his most recent endeavor: stepping up to donate a kidney to Frattasio, who is suffering from stage four kidney failure.

“What’s tougher than that? What’s a bigger sacrifice than that?” Frattasio, 57, said on a recent afternoon at his Hanover home with Smith. “What could be a tougher thing to do?”

Frattasio and Smith, now both police officers, grew up in the same Hanover neighborhood and have been best friends since they were teenagers. Frattasio was one of nine kids, and said Smith was like another brother. They spent their days playing sports and lifting weights at Hanover Police Boys' Club.

Playing for the Carolina Thunderbirds

It was Frattasio’s brother Adam who encouraged Smith to try hockey fighting and got him out on the ice.

"He said, 'you already know how to fight. You should learn how to skate,'" Smith, 59, said. "Don’t ask me how, but by 23, I was playing in the minor leagues."

After being turned away from a training camp for the Carolina Thunderbirds in 1988 because he couldn’t skate well enough, Smith was invited back later in the season to join the team as an enforcer, a player tasked with protecting his teammates and keeping opposing tough guys in check. Smith continued to play for various minor leagues as a “rent a goon” whom coaches would call in when facing a particularly brutal opponent.

Smith and Adam Frattasio later co-authored a book about his time spent playing professional hockey, "Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey." It was later adapted into the movie "Goon" and the sequel "Goon: Last of the Enforcers."

A secret plan to become a kidney donor

So, being like family, Smith reached out to Jon Frattasio's team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center about a year ago to inquire about becoming a donor as his friend's kidney failure continued to get worse. Frattasio didn't even know Smith wanted to be his donor until he was already well into the lengthy screening process.

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"I kept passing all these tests, and ultimately they said, 'you're going to be a match, but don't tell the recipient yet in case you change your mind,'" Smith said.

But Smith said he knew there was no way he'd back out on the opportunity to give his friend back his health and quality of life he's so desperately missed. He said he showed up at Frattasio's house one day with all the paperwork and test results to prove he was serious.

Frattasio said learning that Smith was moving forward to be his donor was "surreal," and "like a scene out of a movie." He said he feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of him, even before the transplant actually takes place.

"It's emotional," Frattasio said. "I always remember Doug being there for me in one way or another. ... And now he's saying, 'Jon, I'm going to give you a kidney.'"

"He'd do it for me," Smith, of Halifax, said. "How could you be best friends and deny the other one life?"

Smith, who has two teenage daughters, said his family is fully on board. His wife, Sharon, happens to work for a nephrologist, or a kidney specialist, so she was familiar with the process. His coworkers at the Hanson Police Department have also been fully supportive.

When is the operation to give Frattasio a new kidney?

Both Frattasio and Smith are getting their final clearances and the transplant could take place in the next few weeks. Frattasio said he is more than ready. He's avoided dialysis up until now, but he's tired and weak and his immune system is struggling.

As for the recovery, it will take Frattasio six months to a year to build his strength back up and hopefully get used to his new kidney. Smith's recovery should be easier and about six to eight weeks of taking it easy.

"As the donor, you're not out of commission forever. It's not that bad," he said.

For Frattasio, the physical recovery is only half the battle. As a part-time police officer in Hanover and professional musician, he will be out of work for some time. An acoustic guitarist, writer and singer, Frattasio has performed all over the country in up to 300 gigs a year.

His brother Adam has started a Gofundme page to help lessen the financial burden while Frattasio is out of work.

Frattasio and Smith said they also want to bring attention to the importance of organ donation, and how stepping up to be a donor can save someone's life. While he anxiously awaits his transplant, Frattasio said he already feels like he's been given the biggest gift.

"We were already connected, but now we're really going to be connected," Frattasio said. "I'm going to have a very important piece of his DNA."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Former hockey fighter and Hanson cop to give kidney to best friend