Statement from Kevin Longino, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and a transplant recipient, on actor Jesse Eisenberg's kidney donation announcement.
(New York City, NY – October 30, 2025) - "We appreciate and admire this selfless act by Mr. Eisenberg to step up and give the gift of life. Every kidney donor helps make a real difference for someone living with kidney disease — and this kind of generosity can inspire others to consider living kidney donation.
Right now, more than 90,000 Americans are waiting for a kidney transplant, and 13 people die each day while waiting. Living donors help shorten that wait, giving recipients the best possible outcomes and quality of life.
For more information on living donation or to learn how you can make a difference yourself, please visit www.kidney.org. The National Kidney Foundation remains committed to supporting and equipping patients, donors, and their families with trusted education and resources, and advocating for policies that make kidney donation and transplantation more accessible and equitable for all.”
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease - also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD) - and approximately 90 percent don't know they have it. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are about four times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanic people experience kidney failure at about double the rate of White people.
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.
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Media Contact:
Paul McGee (716) 523-6874 or paul.mcgee@kidney.org