'I Am In A Race Against Time:' Massapequa Park Father Seeks Living Kidney Donor

MASSAPEQUA PARK, NY — A Massapequa Park father of four is searching for a living kidney donor as he battles stage 5 kidney disease and end-stage renal failure.

John Patrick Monteforte, known as JP to friends and family, undergoes dialysis several times a week while waiting for a transplant he says is his best chance at a long-term future.

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"I am in a race against time to find a living donor to take over the work my body can no longer do on its own," he said.

The 45-year-old worked in heavy construction for more than two decades, helping shape and rebuild parts of New York City's infrastructure, from Citi Field to local bridges.

He was also among the workers involved in cleanup efforts at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 attacks and later worked on the 9/11 Memorial Museum, an experience he described as profoundly heavy and humbling.

"It was emotional work, but it was an honor to help rebuild a piece of our history alongside my brothers in labor," he said. "You never think the work you do back then might catch up to your health decades later, but I wouldn't change my pride in our city."

Monteforte said his diagnosis came as a complete shock.

"It actually hit us completely out of the blue," he said.

In April 2025, Monteforte suffered a sudden medical crisis while in Texas with his wife, Jaime, who was attending a work conference. Realizing something was seriously wrong, she arranged for them to return home immediately.

"In less than 24 hours we flew home, and I was being rushed to the hospital," he said. "I don't remember a thing."

After a series of tests, the doctors told the family the devastating news that his kidneys had nearly failed most likely two weeks prior.

"I was lucky to still be alive," he said.

Since then, dialysis has become a regular part of his life, helping keep him alive while he awaits a transplant.

"Sitting in that chair for hours is incredibly draining," Monteforte said. "It's been a grueling road. My body has taken a massive beating."

In September 2025, Monteforte underwent open-heart surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm. During the procedure, doctors discovered he also needed an aortic valve replacement because the valve had become heavily calcified, which he said was linked to his kidneys no longer functioning properly.

"This was all a necessary step to make sure I was strong enough to even qualify for a kidney transplant," Monteforte said.

While dialysis is helping sustain him, Monteforte said it is not a long-term solution.

"It tears down the human body over time," he said. "A living kidney donor is quite literally my only path to a long-term future."

More than anything, Monteforte wants to return to being the active, present father he was before his diagnosis. He and Jaime are raising four children: 15-year-old Gianna, 5-year-old Macklyn, and 3-year-old twins Serafina and Salvatore.

"To me, being a father is absolutely everything — it's the absolute center of my world," he said. "Everything I have ever built in my career doesn't compare to the family my wife and I have built together."

When he's sitting through dialysis treatments, Monteforte said he focuses on one thing: watching his children grow up.

"I'm fighting this hard because they need their dad," he said.

Those interested in learning more about Monteforte's story or becoming a potential donor can visit his website. To begin the screening process, prospective donors can contact NYU Transplant Center directly at 212-263-3621 and state that they would like to be tested for John Patrick Monteforte.

Monteforte emphasized that potential donors do not need to be relatives or even share his blood type.

"I just want people to know that you don't have to be a blood relative to save a life, and you don't even have to be a direct blood-type match for me," he said.

Thanks to paired kidney exchange programs, a healthy person of any blood type may still be able to help facilitate a transplant, Monteforte said, "creating a chain reaction that saves lives."