A Bethpage man made the decision to donate a kidney to his father
after learning he was the
perfect match.
The journey to receiving the necessary operation has been a long
one, says Tony Luisi, of Bethpage.
Luisi was diagnosed with needing a kidney transplant three years ago, and as time went
on waiting for a donor, hope diminished.
To make matters worse New York is said to rank 50th with the longest wait time in
North America for organ donations.
“I started to get a little weaker.
I started to have some other problems arise,” says Luisi.
In a News 12 story that aired before the pandemic, the kidney
recipient told News 12 his worries went away once his son, Nick, made the
choice to donate.
Nick says nothing was going to stop or change his decision, saying
in part, “I was locked and loaded. There was nothing stopping me, there was nobody what was
going to tell me I couldn't do this
because this is what I wanted to do for my father.”
To Luisi’s surprise, Nick was a perfect match. Although the
pandemic halted many surgeries, doctors found a brief window of opportunity to
operate. On Sept. 29, they had the operations.
“People always ask me, you know, did you want to
do this? How did you get over the fact you were going to donate your kidney?
says Nick. “To me it was never really a question.
Luisi described the process as very challenging
and emotional, saying in part, “To take a kidney from your child, it is a
difficult, difficult thing, but he made me an offer I couldn't refuse.”
With successful
operations, both men can celebrate Thanksgiving, although apart.
Luisi hopes more New Yorkers educate themselves
on organ donations and consider helping. This way, another family will be able
to celebrate future holidays like Thanksgiving.
“Whether you sign the back of your card or you
feel like being a living donor there are things that you can do to save a
life,” says Luisi.