I got a call from my friend Matthew Novelli last night. He was at the hospital and had just emerged from major surgery. I abruptly excused myself from the dinner table and took the rest of the call in the other room.
Stories typically go one of two ways after a setup like that, but this one has a happy ending. After years on the transplant waitlist, Matthew had received a new kidney! He was in recovery and groggy but doing well.
Matthew originally reached out to us back in May 2021. He wanted to use social media to raise awareness for organ donation and to find a living kidney donor. He’d battled kidney failure since birth. (You can read more about how we came to work together in this post.)
He’s been on an incredible journey over the last few years. He’s made countless new connections and raised money and given talks and put himself out there and stepped WAY out of his comfort zone… all in the name of trying to make an impact for others and to be around as long as he can be for his family.
Matthew was matched and scheduled for surgery twice in the last two months, only to have it fall through both times. He finally received his new kidney when he and his wife Tina participated in a paired donation/exchange — this is where there are two pairs of people and the kidney recipient in one pair is compatible with the donor from the other pair and vice versa.
Tina’s bravery and selflessness cannot be overstated. She is also recovering well. So is the other pair in the exchange.
Matthew’s call last night is in my all-time top-ten. I’m humbled to be one of the first/few people he called after surgery. I’m thrilled for him and his family, inspired by his journey, and proud to call him a friend!
If you or someone you know is curious about or has ever considered donating a kidney, please visit the National Kidney Registry today.
Matthew Got a New Kidney!
I got a call from my friend Matthew Novelli last night. He was at the hospital and had just emerged from major surgery. I abruptly excused myself from the dinner table and took the rest of the call in the other room.
Stories typically go one of two ways after a setup like that, but this one has a happy ending. After years on the transplant waitlist, Matthew had received a new kidney! He was in recovery and groggy but doing well.
Matthew originally reached out to us back in May 2021. He wanted to use social media to raise awareness for organ donation and to find a living kidney donor. He’d battled kidney failure since birth. (You can read more about how we came to work together in this post.)
He’s been on an incredible journey over the last few years. He’s made countless new connections and raised money and given talks and put himself out there and stepped WAY out of his comfort zone… all in the name of trying to make an impact for others and to be around as long as he can be for his family.
Matthew was matched and scheduled for surgery twice in the last two months, only to have it fall through both times. He finally received his new kidney when he and his wife Tina participated in a paired donation/exchange — this is where there are two pairs of people and the kidney recipient in one pair is compatible with the donor from the other pair and vice versa.
Tina’s bravery and selflessness cannot be overstated. She is also recovering well. So is the other pair in the exchange.
Matthew’s call last night is in my all-time top-ten. I’m humbled to be one of the first/few people he called after surgery. I’m thrilled for him and his family, inspired by his journey, and proud to call him a friend!
If you or someone you know is curious about or has ever considered donating a kidney, please visit the National Kidney Registry today.