News Articles

After eight years on dialysis, Jordan Ryan knew she could die without a new kidney, but her chance of receiving one was slim, especially since a kidney donated by her uncle years earlier had failed because of her disease. Then she got the call: It was the miracle match the family had prayed for.

New York firefighter Kevin Shea was dragged out only minutes before the North Tower fell, and was one of only 13 members of his Upper West Side firehouse to make it out alive. 16 years later, the hero celebrated his amazing fortune by giving the gift of life to a stranger—a 59-year-old special-ed teacher in desperate need of a kidney.

It is extremely likely that someone you know needs a new kidney, and that means someone in your life needs you to donate one.

Cody Maynard, 21, donated a kidney to someone he never wanted to meet, saving the life of an 18-month-old stranger. In doing so, he joined the growing ranks of anonymous organ donors—altruistic people who give one of their two kidneys to strangers, without even the prospect of a "thank you" from the recipient.

Hundreds of Americans are volunteering to donate kidneys to complete strangers, saving the lives of people who desperately need transplants. INSIDER asked six kidney donors why they did it.

Howard Broadman's grandson Quinn was born with serious kidney problems. Broadman would gladly donate a kidney to save his grandson’s life, but Quinn is still too young for a transplant—and by the time he’s ready, his grandfather will be too old. So Broadman offered to donate a kidney to a patient who needs one now, in exchange for a “voucher” that Quinn can use when he needs a transplant in the future.

Howard Broadman wanted to do something to help his 4-year-old grandson, Quinn Gerlach, who was born with only one kidney that wasn't fully-functioning. Gerlach is too young for a kidney transplant, but at age 64, Broadman knew his window of opportunity was closing. The solution he came up with would inspire a new program being adopted by hospitals across the country.

When Belinda Hudson's 18-year-old son, Nigel Dalton, needed a kidney, she didn’t hesitate to offer one of her own. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a match. She was, however, a perfect match for a complete stranger. So she offered her kidney, and in return her son found a match as well. Through the National Kidney Registry, a chain of six people and three kidneys was formed, all linked together by the gift of life.

Jeff West's kidneys were failing and he would soon have to go on dialysis. But shortly before treatments even began, he received an unexpected gift—a kidney donated by a volunteer he had never met. It happened through what's called a transplant chain: a set of surgeries, stacked like dominoes, that depend on people willing to literally give a part of themselves to someone they don't know.

Chris Friend gave one of his kidneys to a complete stranger on January 3, 2016. Two years earlier, the Louisiana native was so inspired by a Facebook post on becoming a living donor that he contacted the National Kidney Registry.