Tim Fitzpatrick, a 44-year-old father from Long Island, donated a kidney to a 13-year-old boy he had never met after learning about the child's need for a transplant in a local news report, according to an April 11 announcement. Fitzpatrick volunteered as a living donor through the NYU Langone Transplant Institute and was found to be a match.
The story highlights the importance of living organ donation at a time when more than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for transplants, including about 95,000 who need kidneys. Living donors play an essential role in meeting this demand.
Fitzpatrick said his decision was influenced by his own experience as a parent. His son receives care at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone for eosinophilic esophagitis. "You see a kid like that, and you think about your own. If my son were in that position, I'd be hoping someone would step up," Fitzpatrick said.
The recipient of the kidney is Elias Manolis, who was born with ureterovesical junction obstruction and had faced years of medical procedures before requiring the transplant. When no family members matched as donors, Elias's parents shared his story widely on social media and local news outlets.
On March 23, surgical teams from NYU Langone Transplant Institute and Hassenfeld Children's Hospital performed the coordinated dual-team surgery using minimally invasive techniques. Bruce E. Gelb, MD led Fitzpatrick's donor surgery while Jonathan C. Berger, MD performed Elias's transplant procedure.
"Tim's willingness to step forward for someone he didn't know is extraordinary," Dr. Gelb said.
Following successful surgeries and recoveries for both donor and recipient, their families met in person for the first time at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit—a meeting marked by homemade cookies shaped like kidneys and other tokens commemorating the occasion.
Elias has since returned home and looks forward to resuming normal activities such as riding his bike or playing sports—opportunities made possible by what Dr. Laura Malaga-Dieguez called "a turning point." Margaret Manolis described her gratitude: "We are beyond grateful—to the doctors...and most of all to Tim who made this miracle possible...Because of you, Elias has a brighter future ahead."
