Matthew with Dad

We never imagined we'd be writing such a difficult letter, we ask only for your understanding and thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your kindness and support means the world to us as our son Matthew faces the biggest challenge of his young life - the imminent need for a kidney transplant. As you all know, he is a very private person and sharing the reality of his situation has not been easy. And yet he has faced this painful and debilitating illness with dignity, maturity, and admirable determination to get well and get on with his life. We couldn't be more proud of our son and want nothing more than for him to have every opportunity to realize his dreams. We love him more than mere words could ever express.

We'd like to share some updates with you and ask only that you give some thought to helping us achieve the goal of finding a donor. Our reality is that his disease, IgA Nephropathy, has progressed much faster and more aggressively than was initially expected. His amazing doctors have exhauted the option of treatment by medication, and we've learned that if we can avoid dialysis, his prognosis and longevity with a live donor kidney are greatly increased. As a less desirable option, he's joined the long and daunting waiting list for a kidney from a deceased donor.

And so we find ourselves spearheading the most important appeal of our lives - to get the word out and find a suitable donor. The ideal donor is in good health and is blood type O-Positive. There is extensive screening beyond this criteria, but that's a good start. We were devastated to learn that both of us are not suitable donors and so we must now search outside the immediate family. To this end, we'd like to share with you some of the steps we've already taken and ask only for your ideas to further the cause. Nothing is too far-fetched - we'd welcome any and all suggestions.

For example, we've contacted an organization called Halachic Organ Donor Society; check it out here. This organization serves to encourage altruistic organ donation and provides education as well as profiles of patients in need. Matthew now has a bio and photo on that site, but we need to find many more ways to reach out and appeal to potential donors.

We've also created this Web site, needakidney.org. Here you'll find updates, as well as information related to his condition. Our goal is to obviously help our son find a donor, and subsequently to create a social networking and information resource to help others with his condition.

As Matthew's parents, we wish to extend our deepest gratitude for your ongoing concern, love, and support. If we put our collective ideas, resources, and creativity towards the task at hand, we'll hopefully acheive the best possible outcome for our son.

Warmest Regards,

Dary & Rob