From football to transplant, this ‘coach’ wants to help others

Allan Halliburton is taking a lesson from the play book. He’s helping others make it through their tough times by practicing and imparting the coping skills he learned firsthand.

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

He struggled to breathe, sleep, and walk. His neck and chest were swollen and his legs oozed liquid. He was depressed and isolated himself from others and at one point thought his children might be better off without him.

“I looked like Play-Doh just pieced together, and I felt the worst of my life,” said Allan Halliburton, 40.

That was eight months before he received a kidney and pancreas transplant at IU Health on May 1, 2024. Halliburton recently reunited with his care team including Dr. Jonathan Fridell, Dr. Asif Sharfuddin, and transplant coordinators Renee Tyler and Todd Jones.

As he spoke about his transplant team Halliburton said: “Why does transplant matter? You guys are giving people an opportunity to live life.” He said he was not living his best life until he met his transplant team. “I didn’t even trust doctors until I met Todd (Jones),” said Halliburton.

A graduate of Bishop Chatard High School, Halliburton played defensive end for the Trojans’ football team. After high school he continued playing football for Thomas More College, Merrimack, N.H. A concussion ended his football career, and he enlisted in the US Army, stationed in Fort Camp, Ky. He served one tour in Iraq November 2006-2007 and reenlisted. That stint was cut short when his Humvee was hit by an underground bomb. The explosion tossed Halliburton in the truck and resulted in traumatic brain injuries. He left the Army as a purple heart veteran.

“I have a lot of uncles who served in the military, and I loved what I did. I joined because I had two children at the time and my inspiration was putting food on their plates,” said Halliburton, who now has four children, ages 13, 17, 21, and 22. “I had lost all discipline and was into sabotaging habits. I wasn’t doing anything constructive in my life. I don’t shy away from telling people my story, my journey,” said Halliburton, who speaks to high school students and recently applied for his first TEDx talk.

At the age of 28, Halliburton was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He was hospitalized and quarantined for 45 days during COVID, weighed 325 pounds and was suffering from renal failure.

“I was always active and healthy and then I wasn’t,” said Halliburton.

Through all his experiences, Halliburton has turned to what he knows well - coaching others. In addition to coaching on the field, he has created what he calls “interior performance coaching.” Through his program, “The Phoenix Wellness Empire,” he works with athletes in changing self-sabotaging habits and improving their emotional, fitness, and nutrition health. He hopes to work with transplant patients in a similar way.

“When I started meeting nurses and Dr. Fridell I found a home and only felt comfortable when I was with them during transplant,” said Halliburton. He was walking the day after his transplant and said he now feels like he’s in his 20s.

“I said, ‘Lord if you give me a second opportunity at life I’ll help anyone who crosses my path.’ Since then I’ve been out in community advocating for IU Health and organ donation. One thing people don’t talk about is the lack of trust by black Americans with healthcare. I choose to fight that stigmatism.”