He Donated a Kidney to His Dad. Now He’s Running the Chicago Marathon for NKF

Joey learned that his father was in kidney failure in spring 2023.

“I knew of kidney disease,” he said. “But I didn’t know much about it.” 

All Joey knew was that he would do anything to help his dad. 

“My mom sent a message to the family asking if anyone would consider being tested as a potential living donor,” he said. “I filled out the link and short form immediately.” 

At first, Joey wasn’t eligible to move forward in the living donor evaluation process. 

“I had to lose some weight,” he said. “I was already on a weight loss journey, having lost around 90 pounds. 10 more pounds was nothing–especially for my dad.”

In the meantime, his dad started home dialysis.

“His team was incredible,” Joey said. “My dad gives them a lot of credit for his success at home.”

Take our quick quiz to learn if home dialysis is right for you.

Joey wasn’t the only one willing to donate.

“My older brother, Peter, went through the donor evaluation first,” he said. “My mom was also prepared to donate.”

But later in the process, doctors found that one of Peter’s kidneys was smaller than the other, which meant he could not move forward with donation.

“At that point, I’d reached the weight goal I needed to move forward,” Joey said. “My mother, however, was still in the process and wanted to donate.” 

Joey wanted to step in.

“I didn’t want both my parents going through surgery at the same time,” he said. “My mom was set on donating, though.”

She did agree that if her own testing showed any concerns, Joey could move forward. 

“When she had her full day of testing,” Joey said, “she had higher blood pressure than they were comfortable with.” 

With Joey’s mother out of the running, he finished the evaluation and was not only a match but a great donor candidate.

Learn more about kidney donation from real-life donors.

Joey focused so much on helping his dad that he didn't spend much time thinking about himself.

“The team did a great job explaining living donation to me,” he said. “But I didn’t think about it beyond–it’s my dad. I love him. I’ll do whatever for him.”

The surgery was quickly scheduled for that fall. 

“The surgery went well for us both,” Joey said. “I did have some pretty extreme pain at first, but they helped me manage it.”

Learn more about life after kidney donation.

One of Joey’s favorite memories happened shortly after surgery.

His brother was in his hospital room, his sister was with his dad, and the family connected through FaceTime.

“It was one of the coolest moments I’ve ever had in my entire life,” Joey said. “It meant so much to my dad. It meant so much to our family.”

Today, Joey’s dad is doing well. He plays tennis several times a week and lives a more active life than ever.

“Every time my dad sends a text after lab appointments with good results,” he said, “it reminds me how meaningful the donation was.”

Considering living kidney donation? Connect with an NKF PEER mentor whose donated to learn more. 

Joey’s kidney donation came at the end of another journey–improving his own health.

He started by walking, then began running. Before long, he was training for long-distance races.

“If anything, I’m more active,” Joey said of life after donation. “I live a very normal life.”

Now Joey is ready to combine his passions. 

“I saw that I could run to support a charity and was thrilled to see the National Kidney Foundation listed,” said Joey. “We live in Milwaukee, so the Chicago Marathon felt like a natural choice.”

Joey and his family had already participated in Kidney Walk events in Ohio. Running for NKF felt like another way to give back.

“I’m very fortunate to be running for the National Kidney Foundation, to have donated my kidney and to see my dad living such a healthy life,” he said. 

Do you want to run for NKF or have a great idea for a fundraiser? Get started with NKF’s Fundraise Your Way.

Joey knows living donation is a personal decision, and he understands that people may have questions or concerns.

But he hopes his story encourages others to learn more.

“You are literally saving somebody else’s life,” Joey said. “And you get to live a normal life afterwards.”

Take the next step. Fill out this form to connect with a transplant center.