Brian Brugge got a most unwelcome surprise on his 13th birthday – a bout of E. coli contamination that led to kidney failure.

Brugge, now 21, recovered after three months on dialysis at Seattle Children’s Hospital, but then his kidneys began to fail again eight years later. He began dialysis at Northwest Kidney Centers about nine months ago and received a kidney transplant on June 1.

Brugge is recovering well from his transplant and is looking forward to continuing his education at Bellevue College, where he plans to finish his two-year degree by next summer. Brugge then intends to transfer to the University of Washington and pursue his love of natural resources with a degree in environmental science.

“I’ve always been interested in that field. It’s always been a kind of passion of mine,” he said.

Much of that interest stemmed from his battle with E. coli. After he recovered, Brugge started to learn more about E. coli 0157:H7, the strain that infected him. E. coli is a bacteria that normally live in the intestines of humans and many animals, including cows. Most strains are harmless, but some can cause illness in people when ingested. Doctors never determined where Brugge’s E. coli came from.

Brugge has since learned a lot about how food becomes contaminated with E. coli and has a now has an interest in a career that is might involve helping to better manage E. coli.

“I could help other people by thinking up better ways of helping with these problems,” he said.

On June 22, Brugge, a Renton resident, will receive a $3,000 Christopher Blagg Rehabilitation Scholarship from Northwest Kidney Centers. The scholarship will help him complete his two-year degree at Bellevue College. Brugge had attended Washington State University for nearly two years, but had to withdraw after his kidney troubles began to flare up.

Paying particular attention to Brugge’s academic progress will be Trevor Irish, a friend of Brugge’s who donated a kidney to him.

Irish, 27, is a software engineer living in Redmond who didn’t hesitate to offer his kidney when he learned that Brugge needed one.

“Just knowing that my friend Brian needs it and that I have the opportunity to do it. … How can I not?” Irish said just two weeks after undergoing transplant surgery.

Irish said he was already mentally prepared to donate a kidney because he had offered one to a cousin, who wound up receiving a kidney from a brother instead. He learned that Brugge needed a kidney one evening when several friends were hanging out together playing video games.

“When I found out that Brian needed it, I was more than happy to start the process and go from there,” Irish said.