Giving Life: Stamford Man To Become Double Organ Donor

STAMFORD, CT — "Does anyone in Connecticut want to save a life?"

John Rubino, a Stamford native and Marine Corps veteran, was scrolling through his Facebook feed in February 2019 and saw that status update from an acquaintance of his, Robyn-Anne Blosio. Blosio's friend, Jessica Rabasco, also a Stamford native, was in declining health.

Rabasco was experiencing headaches in 2018 and went to the doctor. After some tests, she was told both of her kidneys were functioning at 5 percent capacity. She was admitted to the hospital and began nine months of dialysis.

Rabasco needed a kidney transplant to save her life.

Rubino jumped at the opportunity, which set him on a journey towards helping others and giving the gift of life.

"I had been a blood donor and I donated platelets and plasma for many, many years, but never explored organ donation until I actually saw that post that Robyn put up," Rubino said.

Rubino underwent several months of testing at Yale New Haven Hospital, and found out he was a perfect match for Rabasco.

In July 2019, about a month before the transplant was to take place, Rubino surprised Rabasco at her job at the request of her mother, Carla, to introduce himself and let her know he was going to be the donor. Rubino didn't know who Rabasco was prior to matching with her.

Rabasco owns Tagliere Hair Salon in Stamford.

"I had a client in my book, and it ended up being John. When I turned around, I saw him walking in with cameras. I saw my whole family and friends," said Rabasco, who was 29 at the time. "When I saw him and he introduced himself, it was a ton of emotions: anxious, excited, nervous. Almost instantly, it felt like I knew him for such a long time."

On Aug. 6, 2019, Rabasco received Rubino's left kidney. Aside from a slight rejection scare in 2021, Rabasco is now healthy and living a normal life.

"It was such an amazing feeling to be able to bring that relief to her and her family," Rubino said. "People give me a lot of credit for saving someone's life. I try to tell them that you get just as much back being a donor as the recipient does by receiving the gift of life."

During his recovery, Rubino started to think about ways he could help out others again. After finding out his liver was healthy, he explored a partial liver donation but had to wait a year before he could be considered.

Rubino was referred to Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y. After another six months worth of testing which began in September of last year, Rubino was notified about two weeks ago there was a match: a 7-month-old baby girl.

On March 2, Rubino will donate a portion of the left lateral segment of his liver to the baby girl. The hope is that the liver will grow into a fully-functional, healthy organ.

As with Rabasco's donation, Rubino doesn't know any details about the recipient or the recipient's family. The donations are considered "altruistic." Most living organ donors will donate to a family member, close friend or a coworker.

"I'm a father of two awesome boys. As a parent myself, I could not imagine getting the news that one of my own children was in a terminal or life-or-death situation," Rubino said. "To be able to help this family and relieve that pain and anguish of knowing that their child is in organ failure, it's indescribable. It's just an amazing feeling."

Double organ donors are also rare in the United States. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, in the last 25 years there have been only approximately 50 people in the US who have donated more than one of their organs to two different people.

Rubino hopes to meet the baby girl and her family once the surgery is over. He still sees Rabasco on a weekly basis.

Rubino was born and raised in Stamford. After living in Bethel for two years, he moved back to Stamford in May 2021 to be closer to family. In a twist of fate, he happened to find an apartment a few doors down from Rabasco’s salon.

"I see her all the time. We spent the holidays together. We are like family," Rubino said.

Rabasco said she wasn't surprised when Rubino told her he was going to help save a baby girl's life through another organ donation.

"I definitely cried. It was the same emotions I had at the salon," Rabasco said. "I don't want anything happening to him, but on the other end, if anyone is meant to do this, especially for a little girl, it's John."

For Rubino, his experience in the Marine Corps has stayed with him through the years. It has spurred on a feeling of generosity and love for others.

"It's about belonging to something that's bigger than yourself," he said. "It says something a little bit more about being kind in itself. You can give that gift to somebody else with very low impact to your own life, and save somebody else's."

Rubino hopes to create awareness about organ donation. He said his lifestyle hasn't changed, and his remaining kidney is functioning in a normal range. His liver will regenerate and regrow to normal size in about 8-12 weeks following the surgery.

"Why not? If you're healthy and you can do it, you step up and do it," Rubino said. "I feel totally blessed. This was definitely meant to be."