Long Island man among thousands waiting for new kidney

DEER PARK, N.Y. - Dominick Murdolo tries his best to hide his pain and discomfort behind a smile. The 65-year-old father of two has been battling Crohn's disease and hearing loss for most of his life. In 2014, he was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease.

"Good days are few and in between," Dominick said. "It's stressful. It gains on you."

His wife, Debbie, already gave him her kidney but now he's back on dialysis and on the transplant waiting list because the kidney he received from her isn't working properly.

"I'd give anything for him to be healthy and himself," Debbie said. "My heart breaks that he has got to go through this."

His daughters — Hannah too young to donate and Amanda right now medically unable to — are turning to strangers for support.

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COVID-19 made giving and receiving organs for a living donor more difficult when hospitals were closed for special surgeries. Approximately 7,200 people in New York are on the list for a kidney, nationally 97,000, and 13 people die every day waiting, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Michael Lollo is the president of the National Kidney Donation Organization. The living donor himself believes if people have a spare they should save a life and share.

"Last year, only 353 people in the United States of America gave their kidney away to a complete stranger," Lollo said. "A deceased donor kidney — the wait is 7 to 10 years. If Dom was able to find someone to donate on his behalf now he could get one in 6 to 8 months depending on the circumstances."

But until Dominick finds a match, his family vows to keep fighting. 

"You've got to wake up every day and say I'm going to try to make the best of it," Dominick said. 

To learn about the living donor program and to find out if you're a match for either Dominick or someone else, go to New York-Presbyterian's Living Donor Transplant program.