Michael's Story — Team Share a Spare

Living kidney donor Michael Lollo met his recipient Ruth Tisak for the first time at a New York Mets game seven months after their successful surgeries.

Name: Michael Lollo
City/Town: Suffolk County, New York
Age at Donation: 46
Occupation: New York Police Department Detective
Date of Donation: December 19, 2018
Hospital and Location: New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Did you know your recipient?
I did not know my recipient. I was the altruistic donor in a two-person paired exchange.

What made you decide to donate?
It started with a fellow police officer, Tommy Alexander, who needs a kidney. I was not able to donate to him. Then later in the year, I saw a New York Post article about a guy named Marc Weiner who had a billboard donated for him so he could find a kidney. I was not a match for Marc, but while waiting for the initial test results, I learned about being a non-directed or altruistic donor.

Was it a tough decision?
Of course, I first consulted with my wife Maeghan. I credit her with my donation journey. Kindness is contagious and Maeghan is one of the kindest people I have ever known. I truly feel if I never met her I might not have been as receptive to the possibility of donating. After speaking to Maeghan and doing all of the research, the decision was easy. I felt the risk to myself was small compared to the reward for the recipient and their family.

What were your biggest concerns about donating?
The truth? Having a catheter in. I knew they put it in while you were knocked out, but it’s removed while you are awake. After talking to several donors, that anxiety went away.

How did your family and friends react when you told them you were going to donate?
My wife and children were completely supportive. My family was NOT. The feelings they expressed were, "How do I know this person deserves my kidney? What are you doing to your family if something was to go wrong? This is an unnecessary surgery."

My friends were at first shocked. "Seems like a strange thing to do," is kind of the impression I got from most people. I have to say that ALL of our friends were there during and after the surgery. I can’t thank them enough. I would not have been able to do this without their help.

How did your surgery go?
The surgery went very well. The process leading up to the surgery was a bit bumpy. Our first surgery date was December 4, 2018. After checking into the hotel adjacent to the hospital and starting the bowel prep my transplant coordinator called. She stated that my recipient had the flu and could not have the surgery the next day. I chose to wait for my recipient to get better and rescheduled for Wednesday, December 19, 2018.

On the Sunday before the surgery, I got another call. My surgeon now had the flu, and he was not allowed to operate. After being given several options, I decided to go ahead with a different surgeon and keep the same date. I met my new surgeon an hour before he was to remove an organ from my body. The surgery took just under two hours.

What was your recovery like while you were in the hospital?
I had the surgery on a Wednesday and went home Friday morning. It was pretty much a textbook hospital stay. I will say I was warned about the gas pain and wow; they were not kidding. Day two, for me, was the worst. The gas they use during the surgery to fill your abdomen up gets locked inside your body. The gas travels up towards your back and shoulders. Walking is really the only way to break it up and have it pass through your body. The pain was debilitating, and I barely could move. The good news is that each day got better and better.

What was your recovery like at home?
I had pain meds to take at home. I ended up only using the Tylenol. I walked as much as I could.

What was the most difficult part of recovery?
Not being able to drive for two weeks and not being able to lift more than 20 lbs. for six weeks. I have three kids, and that was a bit tough.

When did you return to work?
If I had a low impact or desk type of job, I could have gone back after two weeks or so. My job kept me out for six weeks. I am very fortunate to have a sick policy that paid me while I was out the entire time.

How long was the process from making the first contact about donating until your surgery?
I contacted Weill Cornell in August of 2018 and donated in December of 2018.

Is there anything about being a kidney donor that's surprised you?
The reaction of some people. I still get a few people that are perplexed by the idea. Another surprise isfeeling like I want to do more. I want to help create awareness to hopefully get others to consider being a living donor as well. Advocacy is now a part-time job of mine.

Would you do it again?
One Million Times Over.