My Brother’s Keeper – Simeon & KC Respress

Simeon (left) and KC Respress (right) look at mom (Veronica Young) as their driving force and motivation to excel. (Lane Gresham)

The saying goes, “Because I have a brother, I’ll always have a friend.” Anyone who has siblings knows this is not as easy as it sounds. While brothers don’t often see eye to eye, they always see heart to heart. That rings true with tight-knit brothers Simeon and KC Respress, both day students at Tallulah Falls School.

Simeon and KC are entering pivotal years. The elder, Simeon, is set to pen his final chapter as a senior at TFS, while KC is an eighth-grader ready to take his talents and abilities to the next level. KC, of Cornelia, is following in his brother’s footsteps in many ways but is his own person. Two things are evident about both — they have the same driving force and they are goal-oriented.

The driving force propelling both individuals is their mother Veronica Young, an assistant professor of mathematics at Truett McConnell University. Both simply point to mom as the greatest influencer in their lives. Simeon, born in Dayton, Ohio, says he came to TFS for education. KC was a bit less subtle.

“Mom made me go,” jokes KC on how he ended up at TFS. “My mother’s encouragement and words of wisdom are my motivation,” adds the four-sport star who competes in basketball, soccer, track and field, and tennis.

Anyone who is motivated will obviously set goals and ambitions that stretch themselves in the process. KC believes it takes uncompromised determination to achieve big goals.

“Setting a sports relational goal is similar to setting a life goal,” says KC. “Set a goal wholeheartedly by having focus and absolute effort.”

There’s no doubt KC is living out his self-proclaimed motivational quote, as is Simeon, who is a multi-sport athlete in basketball and track and field. Their mother’s encouragement has driven the pair to seek greatness in many forms. Ironically, they both desire to accomplish high-level success in academics and athletics.

“I plan to be a civil engineer and attend a college for track and field,” states Simeon of his future goals.

Younger brother KC echoes those goals almost verbatim.

“I want to be an electrical engineer and I want to be an NBA all-star,” says KC.

The Respress brothers dare you to scoff at the lofty dreams. So far, they’ve been determined to prove people wrong.

“A driving force for me is to show people around me what I am capable of doing,” says Simeon.

The senior has excelled in track and field, going to state and placing fifth in the high jump as just a freshman in 2018 with a 5-10 jump. He placed ninth as a sophomore at state in the same event. To date, he has set a personal best at 6-0 in the high jump and 19-2.75 in the long jump and has also competed in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dash as well. Of all his athletic accomplishments; however, it’s what he has overcome off the field of play that impresses most.

Facing challenges on and off the field

Years ago, Simeon was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease called Alport’s Syndrome. Within a year or two, his kidney function was diminishing quickly.

“Knowing this malady could take my life left me confused and broken as I didn’t want to die,” says Simeon. “But having my family with me and settling more in Georgia helped me realize there is nothing to be afraid of. However, I had to cling to life and stay with friends and family.”

Simeon underwent dialysis, spending eight to nine hours nightly connected to a dialysis machine.

“Thankfully, on June 16, 2016, my biological father donated one of his kidneys which gave me a second chance at life and for that I am grateful,” says Simeon. “The kidney transplant made me stronger, resilient, and grateful for God’s grace. It showed me that I shall never give in to death’s hand and to strive to live.”

Simeon grew 6.5 inches in the year following his transplant. He reflects back on the long, painful process of dialysis, the many pills he had to take, getting blood drawn multiple times daily and being poked and prodded upwards of 20 times per day.

“It was frustrating not to be able to keep up with my peers,” adds Simeon. “In the midst of [it all], I continued to play basketball and run track for both my school and the local recreation club. Having opponents that I knew I could beat or seeing my best friends outrun me while I gasped for air was beyond embarrassing. But, what I have learned through these trials and tribulations from this disease was that my life is precious and I should not give up and should live out my dreams. After this ongoing disease and picking myself each time, I started to look more closely at my goals by high school year.”

Simeon is doing just that. He’s not just interested in his own goals and dreams but helping others accomplish theirs, including his brother.

“We both help each other with anything that we have troubles with in our life,” says Simeon. “We both try to do the most that we can to help the other achieve our goals, but as an older brother, I feel like I should do the most I can to help my brother be better than me.”

KC has also put his athleticism on display, as he recently helped guide the middle school boys soccer team to a tri-state championship for the first time in three years. He also has been a standout on the court in basketball.

The impact sports has had on Simeon and KC includes learning how to be more patient with people and learning how to manage their time to excel in the classroom as well as on the field of play. The brothers have also learned how to lead by example and spur others on around them, including each other.

“With stories like this one about the Respress brothers, hopes inspire, dreams take wings, goals become realities, and teams become family,” says athletic director Scott Neal.