Donor Search Success Stories

During the winter of her junior year at Augsburg University, Aaliyah Abdi ’23 received shocking and unimaginable news.

One Fresno family says their son received the best birthday present ever after he got a “perfect match” for his kidney on his 16th birthday. Now they’re hoping this 16-year-old boy can live a more normal life.

March is National Kidney Month to raise awareness about the millions of people affected by kidney disease. NBC10’s Erin Coleman has more from one woman whose life was saved by sharing her story online.

An East Bay rabbi and one of his congregants are celebrating the one-year anniversary this week of a life-saving donation.

Father Tom Kredel didn’t quite say it was a miracle that he found a kidney donor after celebrating Mass at St. Alexis Church in McCandless last summer. But he is certainly grateful.

Carolyn Difabrizio, 51, had been diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney disease and was desperate for a kidney donor when an unexpected person gave her the ultimate gift.

Jennyl Thomas needs a kidney transplant and is on a waiting list for a deceased donor kidney, but the wait time in Georgia can be 3–6 years. About 18 months ago, she heard about the NKR’s microsite program, which lets people searching for a living donor create a personalized website to share their story.

When Frank Pompa went into kidney failure in 2019, his sister, Joely Sanders, wanted to donate but wasn’t a match. She still wanted to help, and ended up donating her kidney to another man in Illinois. That man’s wife donated her kidney to Frank. In January, the four met in person for the first time.

A nearly 8-hour surgery at the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Center on Dec. 20 was a success for both 14-year-old Turlock Christian student Jaxon Shaneyfelt and his kidney donor, 40-year-old Sarah Best. For nearly a year, Shaneyfelt battled juvenile nephronophthisis. Following the successful transplant, his kidneys are back to normal function.

A year ago, a remarkable story of love, sacrifice and family was approaching its culmination at UCLA Medical Center. Nanette Zumwalt, who had been battling polycystic kidney disease, was preparing to undergo a life-changing kidney transplant. Her journey to that point was not straightforward; it took an unforeseen path of fate, love and generosity.