East Windsor Kidney Transplant Recipient To Participate In Rose Parade

EAST WINDSOR, NJ — A kidney transplant recipient from East Windsor will be participating in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA, on Jan. 2.

Harleen (Leena) Sandhu will be on the Donate Life Rose Parade float to inspire people to donate organs and tissue. Her trip is being sponsored by the Sharing Network Foundation.

Sandhu immigrated from India with her parents when she was a year old. At 16, while a sophomore at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, she was diagnosed with lupus. During her time at Rutgers University, Sandhu’s condition worsened. Ultimately, her kidneys failed, and she started dialysis.

“I struggled every day for five years while I was on dialysis,” Sandhu said in a statement. “While waiting for a transplant miracle, I mentally felt hopeful, but physically, I was very fatigued all of the time.”

Her mother, Daljeet Sandhu, was able to donate a kidney. Dr. Stuart R. Geffner and his team at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center performed the transplant in September 1997.

“My mother’s selfless gift gave me a second chance at life,” Leena said. “I am grateful beyond words because it allowed me to live a normal life — something many people take for granted.”

For the next 18 years, Sandhu lived a healthy life. At 27, she started her first job at the American Red Cross and then settled into a career in Medical Device Product Management.

But in 2015, the transplanted kidney failed, and Sandhu was once again placed on dialysis. Four months later, she was matched to a deceased organ donor and underwent a second successful transplant.

“The biggest gift you can give someone is the opportunity to lead a healthy life,” Sandhu said. “Organ donors are truly heroes in every way.”

Sandhu married in 2018. She enjoys gardening, photography, and the outdoors.

She volunteers with NJ Sharing Network and is looking forward to being part of the 2023 Rose Parade. She hopes more people become organ and tissue donors.

To learn more, get involved and register as an organ and tissue donor, visit www.NJSharingNetwork.org.

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