Son Gives Dad His Kidney

Talk about father-and-son bonds. Michael and Jamie Mazzei, the owner and creative director, respectively, of Manhasset’s nuBest Salon and Spa are giving that term a new meaning.

Never mind that they worked together for 22 years. Now their ties are even stronger.

On July 19, Jamie, 42, donated a kidney to his father Michael, 71, who underwent successful kidney transplant surgery at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset.

The duo returned to the hospital just one week after their discharge, thanking the doctors and staff who cared for them during their stay. 
 

In April Michael discovered he needed a kidney as a result of acute diabetes. Jamie immediately had himself tested, and learned he was a perfect match for his father.

Michael was concerned about subjecting Jamie to the surgery, which involved the laparoscopic removal of the kidney by Louis Kavoussi, MD, chair of urology at the North Shore-LIJ Health System.  But Jamie wouldn’t have it any other way.

“My father has always been my teacher,” Jamie said at a recent news conference. “We’ve worked side-by-side for more than 20 years. There’s no question that I would provide my father with this gift of life.”
 

“We’ve never felt so much love, and we thank everyone,” said Michael, who expects to be back at the salon by the end of August.

Deeming Jamie “a true 21st century hero,” 
Ernesto Molmenti, MD, the surgical director of the NSUH Transplant Center, said healthy adults can lead active and complete lives with just one kidney. They should not fear offering a kidney to a parent in need.

And parents in kidney failure, Molmenti noted, should not feel ashamed to ask their adult children for help.

Added Molmenti: “As you can see from these two, this procedure will have a wonderful outcome.”
 

Learn more about the North Shore-LIJ Transplant Center.