9-Year-Old Kidney Donor Saved This Maplewood Teacher’s Life

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Samantha Imperato is a teacher, a wife, a beloved member of the Maplewood school community – and the quintessential “cat lady.” She is also the recipient of a lifesaving kidney transplant that she got at the age of 12.

It was the “greatest gift anyone can receive,” Imperato says.

As a new year begins and communities across New Jersey reflect on milestones and new beginnings, Imperato is getting a chance to look back and reflect on the past 25 years of her life, which was made possible by her kidney donor – a 9-year-old child who passed away in a tragic accident.

According to NJ Sharing Network, a federally designated nonprofit that partners with hospitals across the state, Imperato’s medical struggles began early in her life.

Born with kidney disease that went undiagnosed for years, Imperato’s health declined significantly by sixth grade, and her growth completely stalled, leading to a diagnosis of chronic kidney failure.

After months of treatments and uncertainty, her family finally received the call they had been praying for: a kidney had become available for transplant.

At just 12-years-old, Imperato received a successful transplant at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston in September 2000.

“Amazingly, my new kidney began working immediately,” she recalled. “For the first time in a long while, I felt healthy – and hungry! I couldn’t wait to eat ice cream and drink chocolate milk again.”

Now, 25 years later, the Middlesex Borough resident lives a full, vibrant life that she once only dreamed of. She teaches kindergarten at Seth Boyden Elementary School in Maplewood and recently returned to school herself, pursuing her master’s degree in educational leadership at Montclair State University.

Imperato is also married to her high school sweetheart, Daniel, and fulfilled a lifelong dream of traveling to Italy for their honeymoon — something she once feared might never be possible.

The New Jersey resident has also earned a reputation among family, friends and students for being a quintessential “cat lady” who owns three orange felines: Carl, Fred and Walt.

“They’re my daily reminders of joy and a little chaos,” she laughs.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of her kidney transplant, Imperato gathered with family and friends and remembered a time from her childhood when her doctors had promised her a pizza party if she could gain weight while battling kidney failure.

Through it all, Imperato hasn’t forgotten the lifesaving gift of a kidney that her donor provided more than a quarter-century ago.

“I wouldn’t be here without organ donation,” she said. “Every day, I’m reminded that my life is only possible because a family made the most generous decision imaginable in the middle of their own unimaginable pain.”

“I was given a second chance at life that I could never have imagined,” Imperato reflected. “I carry that gift with me every day, and I hope by sharing my story, I can inspire others to consider registering as organ and tissue donors and give someone else the same chance I was so fortunate to receive.”

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, more than 100,000 Americans – including nearly 4,000 New Jerseyans – are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. One organ and tissue donor can save eight lives and enhance the lives of over 75 others. To learn more about organ and tissue donation or to register as a donor, visit www.NJSharingNetwork.org

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