Donor Search Success Stories

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.

Austin Lee, a 34-year-old Silver Spring Maryland resident, knows what it feels like to be impacted by kidney disease early in life. The two-time kidney transplant recipient was born with a rare birth defect called posterior urethral valves.

After nearly four years of waiting for a matching donor, Madison-Ridgeland Academy head football coach Herbert Davis is finally getting a new kidney thanks to Leah Cox, an MRA parent. The two will be part of a six-person organ swap—the largest in Mississippi history.

The owner of a popular restaurant in Norwalk has a second chance at life. Andrew Sayasane, owner of Winn’s Pizza in Norwalk, started looking for a life-saving kidney donor in July. In October, he got the call that his friend’s fiancee was a perfect match.

About two years ago, Nino DiGiulio put a bumper sticker on his truck in hopes of changing his life — and it is finally paying off.

Nearly a year after her kidneys went into failure, Katie Hallum posted a TikTok. “POV: I overhear you say you have an O blood type and healthy kidneys,” the caption read. Then, Hallum lip-synced a line from “The Mandalorian”: “You have something I want.” The TikTok appeared on Savannah Stallbaumer’s feed. She wanted to help.