# @everton on Instagram - **Type:** Image - **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DVOZeJOl4kq - **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/57929255-everton-instagram - **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/2cbf8d67a6.jpg - **Posted:** 2026-02-26T14:45:55.000+00:00 - **Account Owner:** Everton (@Everton) — https://gondola.cc/Everton ## Caption 💙 My Everton #160: From Junior School To A Gift Of Life ✍️ Holly Hostettler-Davies, Evertonian Full story at evertonfc.com. My dad, Justin Hostettler-Davies, and Kristian Tobin were just boys when they first met in junior school in Bridgend, South Wales. Like most friendships at that age, it began in shared classrooms and playground football. It was an easy bond that forms when two people just click. What set them apart early on, however, was their shared football allegiance. Growing up in the 1980s meant one thing for most young football fans - Liverpool shirts were everywhere. But Justin and Kristian were two young lads who didn’t quite follow the crowd. They chose Everton. Or rather, Everton chose them. They backed Sheedy, Southall and Ratcliffe – and when the rest followed the majority, they stood together. Usually outnumbered but always proud Blues. Through teenage years, careers, marriages, children and the inevitable ups and downs that life delivers, their friendship never wavered. Forty years on from those schoolyard days, they are still side by side. Still debating lineups and results and still sharing the triumphs and frustrations that come with supporting Everton Football Club. But, recently, their friendship was tested in a way far beyond football. Kristian was told he needed a kidney transplant. Without one, his future was uncertain. For anyone, it’s a life-altering moment. But for lifelong friends, it becomes something shared. When my dad, Justin, learned of Kristian’s situation, he didn’t hesitate. He got tested. If he was a match, he would donate. He was. At 50 years old, Justin made the selfless decision to give his kidney to his best friend of four decades. Not for recognition, not for praise, but because that’s what real friendship is about... ## Stats - **Views:** 0 - **Likes:** 1,601 - **Shares:** 0 - **Comments:** 10 ## Tags 160 --- Copyright (c) Gondola