“Miracle Upon Miracle Upon Miracle”Community Rallies Around Coach Adam Kouns After Life-Saving Liver Transplant

“Miracle Upon Miracle Upon Miracle”

Community Rallies Around Coach Adam Kouns After Life-Saving Liver Transplant

Sasha Bush

The Ashland Beacon

This past Saturday, a powerful display of community, compassion, and faith took center stage as dozens of riders came together for a benefit ride in support of beloved football coach Adam Kouns. Organized by Danielle Stewart, the ride was more than just a fundraiser—it was a heartfelt gesture to help the Kouns family with ongoing medical expenses following Adam's recent life-saving liver transplant. It was also a celebration of resilience, redemption, and the power of prayer.

“Coach Kouns is actually my son’s football coach, and he’s really awesome with all the players,” said Stewart. “He’s done a lot for the community, and he just recently had a liver transplant. So, several of us decided to help him and his family out during this time of need. We just wanted to be able to give back to him and his family.”

With the support of local businesses donating raffle items and supplies, the event was a true community effort—one that mirrors the same spirit of service Kouns has shown throughout his 17-plus years of coaching.

But Kouns' journey to that benefit ride has been nothing short of extraordinary.

“I made a lot of bad decisions when I was younger,” Kouns admitted. “I started drinking alcohol, got to the point where I was binge drinking. I was like a fully functional alcoholic for a while. Then one day I said, ‘I want to be better—for my kids, my family, and my football players.’ So, I decided to quit drinking.”

About 40 days after making that decision, Kouns was hospitalized and diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. Doctors told him he would likely need a transplant. Ten months later, something changed inside him.

“I found God,” he said. “I pulled over one day, just started bawling, dropped to my knees, and asked God to come into my heart. I put it all in His hands and went to church the next day. From there on out, it’s just been a journey—with my best friend, God.”

As the months passed, Kouns endured weekly hospital visits for paracentesis and waited to be listed for a transplant. The physical toll was great—but so was his faith.

“One morning I was praying hard,” he recalled. “I told God I didn’t know how much more I could take and asked Him to give me strength.”

Shortly after, he got the call: he had been officially added to the transplant list—and even more miraculously, was moved up. Just one week later, while heading to a family reunion with his wife Bethany, the phone rang again. A liver was available. Could he be in Lexington by 5:00 p.m.? “Absolutely,” he answered.

Kouns and his wife packed up and headed toward Lexington. He described the trip with complete peace— “the kind that only comes from God.”

Upon arrival, doctors warned him that not everyone who gets called in receives the organ. But that wasn’t the case for him.

“I always preferred the donor to live, if they could,” Kouns said. “But if not… of course I would take his or her organ and honor them for the rest of my life.”

When the time came, the surgical team arrived like a well-oiled NASCAR pit crew. “I thought, Man, I gotta pray,” he said. “I prayed for maybe two minutes—and I was out.”

The next morning, he awoke with a smile on his face. “I had a tube in my throat, which was very uncomfortable. But the second they pulled it out, I yelled, ‘Praise God!’ The nurses said they’d never heard anything so smooth come out of someone’s mouth after extubation. I just gave ’em a loud, ‘Let’s go!’”

And just like that, his recovery began with fierce determination. “I told some of my football players I was going to break records getting out of there—and I did. I was one of the first to walk from ICU to my regular room. God is good.”

Two days after getting off the walker, football practice started. And yes—Coach Kouns was back.

“I really counted myself out,” he said. “Thought I’d have to give up coaching this year. But God’s timing is impeccable. His plan is perfect.”

Adam Kouns credits his recovery to three things: God, prayer, and the unwavering support of his wife.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without Bethany,” he said. “She’s been praying for me ever since she’s known me. She’s never left my side—not even in the hospital. Slept on couches, in recliners—she’s, my rock.”

Bethany echoed his sentiment, sharing a profound moment from their daughter.

“The way our oldest daughter put it was: ‘It’s been miracle upon miracle upon miracle.’ That’s exactly what it’s been,” she said. “I’m so thankful our kids were old enough to witness it—to see what faith and prayer can do.” And then, of course, there’s the community.

“I never imagined the amount of support we would receive,” Kouns said. “From friends, from people I haven’t talked to in years—just the texts, calls, messages, prayers, and even financial help. It’s all been a blessing.”

He also extended heartfelt thanks to Danielle Stewart for organizing the benefit ride. “She’s done so much for this community. She’s just a great woman with a servant’s heart.”

Adam Kouns’ story is not just one of survival—it’s a testimony to transformation, grace, and unshakable faith. From the depths of addiction to the edge of death and back again, he has emerged renewed in purpose, grounded in prayer, and driven by a calling greater than himself. As his community stood behind him in his darkest hour, he now stands as a living, breathing reminder that God still works miracles—and sometimes, He does it through the love of a coach, the strength of a wife, and the prayers of an entire town.