29 Strangers Donate Kidneys To Each Other In Essex County

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — When Brian Glennon walked into Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and offered to donate a kidney to a complete stranger, he didn't know the decision would lead him to Yankees Stadium. But when Glennon strode onto the field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch during a recent ballgame, the entire stadium got a glimpse into an inspiring streak that would likely make Joe DiMaggio tip his cap in deference.

Glennon, a father of four from Caldwell, New Jersey, was the catalyst for an amazing “kidney donor transplant chain” that’s saved the lives of 29 people so far, according to Saint Barnabas administrators.

Here’s how it works:

If a patient needs a transplant and has a potential donor, but that donor is incompatible to them, that donor can then give to someone else. That patient will then receive a kidney from a donor who is also incompatible with the patient that they intended to give to. So A gives to B, and B gives to C, and C gives to D, and so on. (See video below)

It’s an example of strangers touching the lives of other strangers… humanity at its finest, hospital staff said.

The chain at Saint Barnabas began when Glennon came to the hospital's Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division Chief Shamkant Mulgaonkar with an altruistic offer… give one of my kidneys to a stranger.

"I decided to donate because I reflected on my life and realized that one thing I was missing was giving back," Glennon explained. "Organ donation is something that I care very deeply about."

Glennon’s gift is still giving back to others. Since Patch wrote about the kidney donation chain in June, six more people have found new organs, according to Saint Barnabas.

• See related article: 23 People Donate Kidneys To Strangers At Livingston Hospital

As a nod to his altruistic act, the New York Yankees recently invited Glennon to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a game on Aug. 15. And when he stepped onto the field and let one snap into a waiting catcher’s mitt, it resounded all the way back to Livingston to the place where it all began.

“You are such an inspiration, Brian,” Saint Barnabas staff wrote. “We're so happy to share this amazing moment with you.”

Saint Barnabas has routinely ranked among the top five transplant programs in the country in volume, according to hospital administrators. During 2016, the hospital's Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division completed 304 kidney transplants, topping its previous record of 301 set in 2015. Half of those are made through living donor transplants.

• See related article: Livingston Hospital Breaks It's All-Time Record For Kidney Transplants

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Photos: Saint Barnabas Medical Center, used with permission