Kidney Transplant Recipient Meets Altruistic Donor on Long Island

A Life-Changing Connection

• 🤝 Two strangers, Scottell (61) and Ann Marie Hassid, met on Long Island after Hassid donated a kidney to Scottell.
• 💡 The incredible gift began with a social media plea from Scottell, who had been on a waiting list for three years for a kidney due to polycystic kidney disease.
• ✨ Scottell described Hassid as his "angel" who arrived at the right time, preventing him from giving up.

Altruistic Organ Donation

• 💖 Ann Marie Hassid, a volunteer firefighter and teacher, felt honored to answer the call, believing she was an instrument to answer prayers.
• 🏥 The altruistic organ donation transplant took place in April, and this meeting was their first face-to-face encounter.
• 🌟 Scottell expressed immense gratitude, calling Hassid a "true angel" for giving him a second chance at life.

The Rarity of Altruistic Donors

• 📈 Doctors highlight that while 28,000 kidney transplants were performed in 2024, a record number, it's still not enough.
• ⚠️ Only 3-400 of these transplants are from altruistic donors, making Hassid's act exceptionally unique and heroic.
• 📣 Hassid encourages others to act on the desire to help, urging them not to quiet the voice that wants to make a difference.

Raising Awareness

• 🚀 Scottell's family credits the local community for spreading their plea through flyers and social media.
• 🏃 Together, Scottell and Hassid plan to run a 5K race in the fall to raise awareness about the life-saving impact of organ donation.
• 💔 There are over 100,000 people on national waiting lists for organ donation.