Stefanie Sbandi

• Microsite Donor Mentor
• Living Kidney Donor

Stefanie donated in August 2023 as a Standard Voucher Donor for her dear friend, Kim. Stefanie and Kim met when they were in ninth grade. They remained friends through life’s ups and downs and their friendship continued into adulthood. 

When Kim began daily dialysis in 2021, she and her loved ones began their search for a kidney. Kim needed a B+ compatible donor. Stefanie was not B+ compatible but remained hopeful that her friend would find the kidney that she needed. She began doing research and realized there are programs that would allow her to donate a kidney, ensuring Kim would get a kidney that was the best possible match for her, even though the two were not a direct match. 

Stefanie began the evaluation process in March 2023, and donated one of her kidneys in August 2023. Sixty days later, Kim received the kidney transplant she had been waiting for. Both Kim and Stefanie are leading healthy and active lives. Kim is now able to do all the things she was unable to do living with dialysis. 

Stefanie is thankful that throughout the process, she had a living donor mentor who was able to offer their understanding and guidance. She is looking forward to being able to offer that same support to other potential living donors. 

Stefanie lives in the Philadelphia area and has spent the last fourteen years working as a special education teacher. She earned a BA in Communication Arts and an MS in Education. She enjoys cooking and spending time with her friends and family. She is excited to blend her passion for education with her passion for living donation to help others navigate their living donation journey.