NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. — A 23-year-old man from North Tonawanda is looking for a kidney donor, again. This time, he is using his health condition to raise awareness about others in a similar situation.
Cameron Stefanski was born with small kidneys. Stefanski didn't have a problem then because you can live with one kidney. He says if you have two small kidneys they act like one. When he hit puberty, his body was no longer able to keep up and his kidneys began to fail.
Stefanski got his first kidney from his dad back in 2014. Normally, a donor kidney lasts up to 15 years, but back in January, it started to fail. He is now looking for another match and encouraging people to learn more about the Paired Exchange Program at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
This program swaps living donor kidneys so each person receives a compatible transplant. This is in a case where you find a donor but their kidney isn't a good match. The more people who sign up, the better the odds of finding a match quickly.
"I don't like to scream and cry for help, but that's when my family and I kind of made that post on Facebook. If there is anyone out there that is willing just to get tested for the Paired Exchange program or whatever it might be, we would be blessed," Stefanski said.
He really wants to spread awareness about people who have his health condition and encourages people to learn more about the Paired Exchange program.
If you are interested in helping Stefanski and other people who are in need of kidneys, you can call the transplant coordinator, Tina Blanchard at Strong Memorial Hospital. Her number is 585-275-7753.