My name is Avram. I am reaching out today in the hopes that someone can help me. I need a new kidney. I am 54 years old and have three children and a beautiful wife, all of whom have been supporting me through this tough time.

I am originally from Transylvania and came to this country without knowing a word of English. I enrolled in high school in Long Island City and then college, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and administration.

In 2003 I was able to bring my wife to the U.S.. We lived in a trailer for a while. She got her nursing license and passed her exam on the first try.

I enjoy spending time with my family and playing with my children every chance that I have when I am not exhausted from dialysis. I enjoy fishing, home remodeling, playing chess, yard work and playing with my dog. I also used to love to go snow skiing.

For a while and before I was diagnosed with kidney failure. I drove my parents to doctors’ appointments, to buy groceries, and to do laundry. My dear mother was always a fighter. I used to take her to dialysis sessions. I remember how my mother never gave up and always had a smile on her face. My mother also suffered from polycystic kidney failure.

I am now on home dialysis 12 hours each session, seven days per week.

A new kidney will change my life forever. I would be able to spend more time with my family enjoying activities we love to do together. We would love to go snow skiing again. I would be so happy if I am able to walk my daughters down the aisle on their wedding day. I would love to go fishing more often. I will also be able to do more community work and help other people who are also waiting on a kidney.

A matching kidney would be ideal. However, a direct match is not necessary. A kidney may be donated on my behalf through the National Kidney Registry (NKR) to help another person in need who also has an incompatible donor. I would receive a compatible kidney from a donor donating on behalf of an incompatible recipient and that recipient would then receive a kidney from a different unmatched donor-recipient pair, as suggested by Alvin Roth’s research.

The NKR would issue a voucher to me, which is like an IOU for a kidney. The NKR employs data from across the U.S. to match donors with compatible recipients. That increases the number of transplants performed each year and also makes for the best patient outcomes.

A donor donating a kidney on my behalf would have their costs of hospital and medical care covered. Donor Shield protections (including lost wages, room and lodging and more), available only through the NKR, may also be available.

You can help me by sharing my story. Donors can be anywhere. Almost 100 outstanding transplant centers participate in the NKR network. Donors usually can donate at any NKR-affiliated transplant center near them or at NYU Langone Health, where I am registered and approved for transplant. I am just waiting for a donor. Contact me to make this happen at [email protected].

Avram Yushan
Egg Harbor, New Jersey