Bob Simenson Reaches Fifth-degree Karate Belt

Bob Simenson has seen a lot of firsts. After 20 years of training, Simenson has become the first student at USA Karate in Maple Grove to achieve Master rank. That means he received approval from the Grandmasters, was awarded a fifth-degree black belt, and other students must now call him “Master Simenson.”    “It certainly hasn't gone without recognition and congratulations from other students,” Simenson says, “but when we line up and bow in for class, it’s time to get back to work.” Simenson is no stranger to dealing with tough situations. A childhood illness left him with kidney damage and accelerated decrease in kidney function. While he was still working on his fourth-degree belt, his kidney function dropped to 10 percent, and he was admitted to the hospital and placed on the national kidney transplant lists (with a typical wait of six years). His son Steve, then 19 years old, researched live kidney donation and informed his father on the way home from the hospital that he wanted to donate one of his kidneys. “My first reaction was I couldn’t accept it,” Bob says. “The last thing you do as a parent is expose your children to any risk of harm.” A three-month journey of blood and tissue testing ended in a potential show-stopper antigen match that indicated that Steve was an ideal candidate, and he was unwavering. “Steve’s donation saved my life,” Bob says. “I do my best to take care of myself; in karate, for example, no more sparring (fighting) for me, because of the risk.” This experience has also raised Bob Simenson’s awareness of the impact kidney disease has on families. He’s been Minnesota’s top individual fundraiser for the National Kidney Foundation's Twin Cities Kidney Walk throughout the past five years.Son Steve also has made possible another of Bob’s firsts: Granddaughter Eloise was born this year—a first grandchild.Additional photos courtesy Bob Simenson and Memory Lane Studios.